When Sir Alex Ferguson retired from management in May 2013, Manchester United were left with a huge hole at the heart of the club. A club that had been at the pinnacle of English and world football for so long now seemed like a lost child without its father.
The three years that came after the Scots departure only underlined the importance of Sir Alex's leadership qualities along with his larger than life personality. With a total of three managers (including Ryan Giggs' interim stint at the end of the 2013/14 season) and only one piece of silverware, the United fans' fears had come true and the red of Manchester had fallen behind their rivals at the top of the Premier League.
Despite Louis Van Gaal's FA Cup triumph in 2016, it was clear that the United board were already looking elsewhere and there was only one name on the public's lips. The club tried to keep quiet while the media speculated over who LVG's replacement could be until eventually the worst kept secret was unveiled - the special secret...if you like.
Perfect fit
Jose Mourinho had on numerous occasions expressed his love, admiration and respect for United in interviews prior to his appointment. His post-match interview as Real Madrid manager, after they knocked United out of the Champions League, is one that immediately comes to mind. It was the perfect fit, a club of such stature and magnitude needed a man with a trophy-laden resume and the self-confidence to call himself 'The Special One' to take the reigns.
The Mourinho name attracted some of the top players around Europe, targets that were not snapped up by Van Gaal or Moyes during their respective tenures such as Pogba, Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan. The board showed early financial faith in their new man, with approximately 120 million pounds being spent on Pogba and Mkhitaryan alone.
The stage had been set, had United finally found the man to fit the Sir Alex shaped void?
Some successes
Well, after two trophies in Jose's first season with the club, United looked like they had done just that. Things were not perfect by any means, with league form being an issue, while the style of play was not too dissimilar to the Portuguese's failed counterparts.
A 6th place finish was actually worse than both of Louis Van Gaal's campaigns, with the Red Devils slipping up multiple times, accumulating a total of 15 draws. However, the EFL Cup and Europa League successes added a reason for optimism for Mourinho's second campaign, and if history repeats itself 'The Special One' will have a very successful season (Jose has won trophies in his second season at Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Madrid).
As far as the second campaign is concerned...so far so good
With 6 wins out 7 so far in the league along with a 100% record in the Champions League thus far, Mourinho looks to be sticking to the second season script. More new signings joined the club in the summer of 2017, in the hope that all of the draws from the season prior would be transformed into wins, this process looks likes its fully in fruition because of one name, Romelu Lukaku.
But back to the subject, (I'm sure the Belgian will get more of a mention in another article) the question is then with all the potential of this current squad reaching the heights of the United that dominated during the Fergie Era, will Mourinho create a legacy of his own at the Theatre of Dreams?
In my opinion, yes. The future certainly looks bright, despite Mourinho's despondent looks in the majority of his interviews. Performances are looking strong and dominant and in terms of squad depth, it's the best team United have had since the Champions League winning side of 2008, (just my opinion of course).
He has the support of the board, the fans, the players and most importantly (in the modern footballing world) he has the statistics and managerial record to give fans real hope that he can actually turn United back around into a title-winning side.