Jose Mourinho been in the Old Trafford hot seat for just a matter of weeks and already he has the fans onside with his managerial decisions – both on and off the pitch.
But before he was even officially unveiled as the new figurehead of the club following the reign of Louis van Gaal, the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ was heavily linked with the Manchester United job following his sacking from Chelsea in December last year.
Red Devils supporters and former players had grown tired of the team’s lacklustre performances under the Dutchman, but officials decided to wait out the season before deciding to relieve van Gaal of his duties.
Now, the man often viewed as a villain during his time at Stamford Bridge will have his name sung in the red half of Manchester, in the hope he can return the team to the very top of European football.
In such a short period of time, a new sense of optimism revolves around the Theatre of Dreams, a sense of new belief, of returning to past glories, achievements which feel so long ago following the failed tenures of van Gaal and David Moyes.
So what has the Portuguese manager done to instil this belief?
Off the pitch, United have thus far enjoyed one of their more successful transfer windows in recent memories and it has only been open for a couple of weeks. Top managers have an ability to attract the talent players to their club and join them on the journey to championship glory, Mourinho possess exactly this quality having managed some of the best names in the world.
In his first press conference as manager of United, Mourinho claimed “I like specialist players, not multifunctional ones”, a different direction that the Red Devils chased under the reign of van Gaal.
The ‘Special One’ has acted swiftly in the transfer window, buying talent who fit the bill of what it takes to play in the position they are bought for.
The 53-year-old quickly identified the weaknesses of a side that has never been the same since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, and made it his mission to plug the gaps.
First came the signing of Eric Bailly, the central-defender United fans had been demanding for multiple seasons since the loss of former stars Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
The 22-year-old’s arrival from Villarreal came before Mourinho held his first press conference as manager, the first of his specialist signings, a strong and ball playing centre-half.
Next came arguably the most anticipated decision of the summer in the deal made for Zlatan Ibrahimović, a world-class striker to lead the line this upcoming season.
Not to put down Anthony Martial, who enjoyed a stellar first season at Old Trafford, but he simply does not have the ability of the Swedish striker – who continues to show a wonderful ability despite being in his mid-30’s.
Mourinho’s latest signing, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, is a specialist in attacking areas, having shown an ability to setup teammates, as well as find the back of the net himself at Borussia Dortmund last season.
While versatile, United fans remain hopeful that the Armenian is the midfield player with the ability to play a killer pass that they have missed in recent seasons.
In that same first press conference, Mourinho claimed he wanted to make four specialist signings this summer and the question remains – who is that last target?
If all reports are to be believed, that man is former United youth product Paul Pogba.
With a world record bid in the works according to multiple sources, the French midfielder would give the Red Devils a much needed physical presence in the middle of the park, with an eye for goal going forward.
On the pitch, United fans have only had the chance to see the 53-year-old on the touchline once in their friendly against Wigan.
Despite a number of first-team players yet to return after the European Championships, there was an obvious change in emphasis from the side.
Combined with regular starting squad members and upcoming youngsters the Red Devils dominated possession, but not in the way fans have come to expect in recent seasons.
The build-up play was quick, players were looking to run at defenders, wanting to find space in behind.
While fans only got to see 45 minutes of actions from Mkhitaryan, the reaction to his performance was positive and fans could see exactly why he the club pursued his signature so vigorously.
After the match, the new manager was full of praise for youngsters Andreas Pereira and Axel Tuanzebe.
“With Axel, ten minutes is enough! The potential is there, you see it immediately,” Mourinho told MUTV following the youngster’s appearance off the bench.
“Andreas has an amazing talent, he has incredible vision and incredible technique,” the 53-year-old said of United’s second goal scorer.
The positive impressions on the new manager from the new youngsters will leave fans with a sense of hope that they will be handed opportunities throughout the season.
With United’s upcoming tour of China beginning on Friday, a number of the players from the game against Wigan are set to be handed another opportunity in games against Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City.
We are only at the beginning of Jose Mourinho’s reign at Old Trafford, and already he is not messing around with the make-up of his squad.
The rollercoaster ride that comes with the Portuguese manager is only just beginning and it is one that is sure to be watched very closely.
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