London, Oct 10: Jose Mourinho rewarded his excellent Manchester United squad an extra day off following their phenomenal comeback against Newcastle United last week.

United conceded two early goals against a lower-ranked Newcastle side, who were yet to register a win this season. The game seemed to end with a defeat for the Red Devils taking them to a five-match winless run. But in the second half, they showed fighting spirit and eventually won the game 3-2 thanks to goals from Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez.

Now according to Metro UK, as a reward for their spirited comeback, Mourinho gave his squad an extra day off in a bid to reinvigorate the mood in the dressing room.

Currently, there is an 11-day break in the club competition due to the international fixtures. Players like Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Alexis Sanchez all have been called by their respective nations to report for duty but others were due to report back to the Carrington training complex. But in an attempt to get the dressing room back on the right track after a catastrophic start to the Premier League season, Mourinho, apparently, chose to give them a day off.

The win certainly has relieved some pressure off Mourinho who had a torrid few weeks with poor results and was reportedly in line to be sacked. But this result might have saved his job for the immediate future at least.

Mourinho, however, will face some of his biggest tasks after the break when he will face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge following games against Serie A winners Juventus and defending Champions Manchester City. Clearly, it will be this period which is likely to decide the Portuguese manager's fate at the club.

United have made a slow start to their Premier League campaign sitting eighth on the table, trailing seven points behind leaders Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.