Mourinho: 'Maybe United cannot be champion this season'

"We know where we want to go and our destination is to be champions. Maybe we cannot do it this year," Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said ahead of his team's Sunday's trip to Everton.

Jose Mourinho..."You can never tell in football but the gap might be already too large."

Jose Mourinho concedes winning the Premier League might be a step too far for Manchester United this season. Last week's 1-1 >draw at home to West Ham left United 11 points adrift of table-topping Chelsea in sixth position.

United has not won the Premier League since 2012-13 and Mourinho admits ending that drought will be difficult as he still tries to move clear of Louis van Gaal's playing style after replacing the Dutchman in the off-season. "Sometimes when a manager takes over a new club the differences in approach are not significant," Mourinho said ahead of Sunday's trip to Everton.

"In that case all it needs is a little touch, just a fingerprint from the new man and you can get a lot from what was already there. Here we are trying to do something completely different. We could probably get better results if we weren't trying to go in an opposite direction. I am not talking about tactical systems here. I am talking about the way this team wants to play and that is the most difficult thing in football to change."

Mourinho added: "In the league, we have not been getting the goals our performances deserve. There is no doubt we are improving, though. We know where we want to go and our destination is to be champions. Maybe we cannot do it this year. You can never tell in football but the gap might be already too large. I don't know when we will do it, maybe when I am not here, but that is what we are working towards and I think it will happen."

Mourinho also questioned why there is one rule for him and one rule for all other managers in the Premier League. The Portuguese tactician bemoaned his >treatment after serving a >one-match touchline ban during United's EFL Cup quarterfinal win against West Ham midweek, having kicked a water-bottle three days prior.

It was his second touchline suspension of the season and Mourinho said: "The only thing I would like would be the same rules for everyone. Let's go back to the last one. I kick a bottle of water, I cannot do it. If I do it, it's a sending off. After the sending off, there is a punishment.

"So I accept that is a sending off. In fact, if you see the images, when the referee comes, I go - not a word, not a complaint. I accept the suspension of one match and it's as simple as that. But it has to be the same for every manager. It has to be the same."