Barcelona legend Xavi has urged Jose Mourinho not to start a "war" during disappointing spells at Manchester United.

The Portuguese coach, who took over at Old Trafford in the summer, was humiliated by his former club Chelsea at the weekend when his side suffered a 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

The Red Devils currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, six points adrift of the top three after nine games.

Xavi believes that Mourinho has the tendency to cause problems when things are not going his way, and he uses the 53-year-old's spell in charge of Real Madrid as an example.

"Sometimes when things don't go well for Mourinho, he wants war not football - like when he was at Madrid - and I hope we don't see that again in England," The Mirror quotes Xavi as saying.

Meanwhile, reports have claimed that some United players have been left stunned by Mourinho's hands-off approach to training.