#360view: Mourinho showing he is true successor to Sir Alex

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  • Mourinho's United are 15 matches unbeaten.

    It took longer than expected, but there now can be no doubt that the ‘Special One’ has begun to live up to his famous moniker at Manchester United.

    The questions asked of manager Jose Mourinho during the draw-laden doldrums from October to early December have been emphatically answered by a run of nine-successive victories.

    It is no surprise that such imperious form eluded the dreadful David Moyes and lethargy-inducing Louis van Gaal. Yet not even Sir Alex Ferguson during the final four years of his trophy-laden reign could better this spell, which the Red Devils last experienced during February 2009.

    Mourinho’s winning touch can be seen at all levels of a club which feels back on track following a harrowing immediate three season’s following Ferguson’s abrupt exit. Similarly, last winter’s implosion at Chelsea feels increasingly like an aberration as one of the modern era’s greats reasserts his brilliance.

    One thing United’s loathed owners the Glazers could not be accused of since their legendary Scot departed is a failure to invest, after ending their previous parsimony. Moyes and Van Gaal either squandered such riches or failed to see a return on their investments.

    In contrast, Mourinho’s unmatchable contacts among agents and players, plus his laser focus, meant this scattergun approach came to an end this summer. To unmistakable effect on the pitch, Mino Raiola’s stable of stellar talents was raided as Real Madrid were headed off in a world-record £89 million (Dh396.1m) move for France midfielder Paul Pogba, Sweden talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic came in on a free and Arsenal were bested in a push for Armenia creator Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

    A trademark eye for a defender appeared as Ivory Coast centre-back Eric Bailly was plucked from Villarreal, with the 22-year-old since performing superbly.

    A further glaring weakness of Mourinho’s two immediate predecessors was the fact players wilted under them. United’s uninspired title-winning squad sunk to seventh under Moyes, while Van Gaal’s outdated “philosophy” and idiosyncratic ways led to stale football and the wastes of talents such as Spain tyro Ander Herrera and the departed Angel Di Maria.

    Mourinho has had the opposite effect. Herrera is now one of the Premier League’s best performers, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo have gone from outcasts to top centre-backs and Juan Mata – the unwanted star sold by him at Chelsea – is back to being a game-changer.

    This positive rapport with his squad has been rewarded. From Belgium midfielder Maroune Fellaini rushing 40 yards to celebrate with him after scoring against Hull on Tuesday, to letting Ferguson on the team bus, these simple touches have elicited sizeable upsides.

    Time has also been key. It took several months to re-introduce veteran metronome Michael Carrick, bring on Mkhitaryan and draw the best from the unqiue talents of Pogba in a free-flowing 4-3-3 formation.

    Attitude, insight and instincts reminiscent of Ferguson have brought Mourinho to this point. After several false starts, a true successor has been found.

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