Jose Mourinho and Manchester United, a manager and a club that have long had a love-hate relationship, have finally finished off their awkward affair and come to terms. Mourinho has openly praised the club, and especially the former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and has stated how it would be a wonderful job for him to take one day. That day has finally come, and there certainly seems to be a bit of a fifty-fifty reaction from the supporters on whether or not they like him. However, regardless of how you feel about the Portuguese-born manager, it is virtually undeniable that he could very well be the man to bring Manchester United back to their glory days.

Jose Mourinho and Manchester United: An Air of Arrogance

Mourinho is a man that doesn’t lack in confidence, and some may say he is an arrogant man, but that’s just what Manchester United have been missing since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. Do you remember the days when United would stroll onto the pitch, regardless of the opposition or the venue, and they would look they had already won the match? Those days aren’t as far removed as they now seem, and the arrogance of the new manager is exactly what United needs to regain the glory they once held, and return to the pedestal of the English Premier League.

The track record of Mourinho is absolutely undeniable, regardless of your personal opinion on the man, and he should receive the praise and is met with the excitement he rightly deserves. There was a time when any club on earth would risk going bankrupt just to have a chance to see him sign his name on the dotted line, and even though it is hardly a monetary worry for United to bring him in, it was worth every penny. A manager of his calibre, and with the resume he carries, he can bring in the players that United have continually missed out on with David Moyes and Louis van Gaal at the helm. With all due respect to both of those men, they just didn’t have the combination of charisma and success that Mourinho obviously has, and this will make a massive difference when the summer transfers start rolling in.

To be fair to the last two managers, they both played a part in a very important chapter in this clubs history, and where they are headed in the near future. Moyes brought in two players, in Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini, that could end up playing pivotal roles under Mourinho, despite his past with the former. And, even though his tenure is now looked at as nothing short of a mistake, these two signings are the biggest mark he has left in Manchester. As for van Gaal, he deserves a great deal of credit for stabilizing the club in a time of transition from one success to the next. Even though he was awarded the ability to spend freely, and he most certainly did just that, the injuries that United encountered in the first team this season was arguably the main reason he is now out of a job. However, the signings he made, and winning a domestic trophy in the form of the FA Cup, are a massive step in the right direction, and will make the job Mourinho has taken on immensely easier.

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His first interview says it perfectly, Mourinho is fully aware of how the supporters have felt over the last three years without success, and fully intends to win. So, any worries that United supporters might be carrying about his style should be put to bed here and now. Some have said, “what will happen with the youth players under Mourinho?”, and others have worried about the defensive style of football he has been known to play, but one thing is for sure, Mourinho respects the traditions of one of the most historic clubs on earth, and will hopefully honor those traditions in his tenure as manager. Players like Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Paddy McNair, and all of the others need not worry, as he has openly stated his intention to honor the clubs past, and youth is surely part of that.

There is one sure thing about all of this hysteria surrounding the appointment, and it is that this might just be the first step on the road back to silverware. And, for a man who has won a major trophy at every club he has managed at, no one would expect any less from him. So why do some of the United supporters out there continue to worry about this appointment? The fact of the matter is this, United supporters value tradition just as much, if not more, than any other supporters in the world, and Mourinho has, at least at Chelsea, not been known to go along those lines with his philosophy, with youth taking a back seat. But, can one really compare a historic youth set-up like that of United’s to a much less profound, historically not recently, one like that of Chelsea?

For all the worries and “what if’s” floating around right now, one thing can be said for certain, and it is that United have hired a winner, and the appointment is met with an air of optimism that was missing with the appointments of Moyes and van Gaal. The fact that Mourinho has brought success to clubs in Portugal, Italy, Spain, and the Premier League is an obvious indication of what he can do with clubs of similar, or lower in the case of Portugal and Italy, than that of Manchester United. The air of arrogance, however, should be the least of the clubs worries, as that is exactly what United needs. Is the track record and his confidence enough to bring back the silverware to Old Trafford? Only time will tell.

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