THE Theatre of Dreams has become a nightmare for Jose Mourinho.

Old Trafford, the site of so many of Manchester United’s most triumphant moments, looks set to become the burial ground of world football’s highest profile manager.

Even before a ball was kicked in the 0-0 Champions League stalemate against Valencia, the knives were out – led by one of the club’s greatest ever.

“I’m surprised he survived after Saturday,” Paul Scholes said on BT Sport.

“The performance was that bad. The attitude and performance were nowhere near… I think his mouth is probably out of control and I think he’s embarrassing the club.”

What followed on the pitch was undoubtedly an improvement of the horrendous scenes of their Premier League baptism at the hands of West Ham, but regardless, United are now winless in four matches at their home ground.

The once-proud fortress that housed the exploits of so many United stars of years gone by has lost its aura, and some were on hand to watch it crumble as Mourinho’s men disappointed once again.

The likes of David Beckham, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs were captured looking decidedly unimpressed as their former colleagues took aim at the man responsible for the fall – live on national television.

“It was obvious to anyone watching on Saturday the attitude was wrong and he said the attitude wasn’t the problem,” Rio Ferdinand opined.

“Then he’s picking on the scouts. It’s like he wants to get the sack.”

The axe hovers at Old Trafford, and Scholes is also doing his best to bring it down in a hurry.

“He’s been there two years and he doesn’t have a clue what his best team is. There is no identity and no way of playing anymore,” he said.

“It’s plainly obvious to me that there are players in that dressing room who want the manager to go.”

The experts are lining up for their chance to have a crack at the under-fire manager, who really did himself no favours in providing them the perfect metaphor for his struggles.

United arrived late for the clash at their own home ground, after their opponents in fact, after misdiagnosing the Manchester traffic.

“We left the hotel at six o’clock, hoping that 30 minutes would be enough,” Mourinho said. “Which normally is but this time the police refused to do an escort so we come by ourselves. And we took from the Lowry Hotel, 75 minutes.”

It seems even the universe is against him, with nothing going right for the United boss.

UEFA agreed to delay kick-off by five minutes to aid the tardy Red Devils but right now it feels as though the only thing the club is delaying is Mourinho’s inevitable dismissal.

Four shots on target throughout the 90 minutes in another lacklustre display, as Marcus Rashford’s bar-rattling free kick was the only real chance to speak of. But what’s to blame, Jose?

“The players tried,” Mourinho said after the match.

“They raised the level of their efforts. They raised the level of their intensity in spite of the fact we don’t have many with that intensity. We don’t have the technical quality to build from the back.

“We tried to do something we did well which was to stop a fast team on the counter attack. We knew we wouldn’t create 20 chances. Our attacking players aren’t in their best moments of confidence and individual level. We thought with three or four chances we would score and win the game.”

Chris Smalling insisted the dressing room is ‘united,’ but puns aside, the raft of rumours surrounding the manager’s relationships with stars such as Antonio Valencia and Paul Pogba have become too hard to ignore.

Mourinho’s days appear numbered, and perhaps former United star Brian McClair put it best on Twitter… “Coach, players, system, shape, tactics, b***ocks!!!”

How long will it be until the Theatre of Dreams sends the Portuguese tactician for a never-ending slumber?