There’s a lot to be excited about for Manchester United fans at the moment.
After a season that reaped three trophies, the Red Devils are plotting their return to the Champions League and a realistic title contention.
Supporters will be hoping that, with a solid first campaign under their belt, a Jose Mourinho-inspired renaissance will get into full swing in 2016-17.
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If nothing else, the Special One’s record in second seasons points to a successful year at Old Trafford. At FC Porto, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and two separate Chelsea spells, he harvested the league title in his second campaign.
And, while Mourinho has expressed his concerns, United have already settled into their transfer business this summer. The signings of Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku have ensured they have kept the pace with their rivals.
Moreover, it is hoped that last year’s arrivals – notably Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan – will truly kick-on after solid debut terms.
Looking back to the Lukaku saga too and Mourinho can rejoice in robbing Chelsea of their first choice replacement for Diego Costa. Nevertheless, the incoming Alvaro Morata isn’t a bad alternative as far as it goes.
The moral of the story being, though, that things are looking up at the Theatre of Dreams under the Portuguese.
However, it’s a well-known fact that Mourinho tends to move between clubs on a semi-regular basis. In fact, you only have to look to the end of his Inter Milan spell when he went from lifting the Champions League trophy to saying his goodbyes in mere minutes.
The longest tenure of his career proves his first Chelsea spell and, even so, his time at Stamford Bridge came in at just 185 games. For a little context, that’s a mere tenth of the fixtures amassed by Sir Alex Ferguson with United.
So, it begs the question – when will Mourinho kiss goodbye to Manchester? Well, the answer proves a surprising one.
According to the Mirror, the Special One expressed his confidence that he had found the club he wants to spend the rest of his career at. He stated: "I'm ready for this. I'm ready for the next 15, I would say. Here? Yes, why not?
"I have to admit that it's very difficult, because of the pressure around our jobs, everybody putting pressure on managers and things that people say - that we have to win, but in reality only one can win and every year it's getting more difficult.
"But what I try to do in the club is show that my work goes further than the football results, that it goes to areas that people don't think of as a manager's job.
"In my vision, my job is much more than what I do on the pitch and the results that my team gets at the weekend.
Promising stuff and comments that suggest Mourinho is adopting a long-term outlook on his stay at the club. It’s certainly music to the ears of fans and the club’s younger stars, that’s for sure.
And, if the Special One garners three trophies every season, why complain? You might want to swap a Community Shield for the league, though, Jose.
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