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Jose Mourinho had already unbuttoned his shirt and was winding down ahead of a weekend off when he nestled into his seat for Friday's post-match press conference.

"I'm very happy. The crowd was magnificent," Mourinho beamed. One player was about to feel as happy as the Manchester United manager.

"I think they're creating a good relation with the team, with the players, even players I could feel in previous years the relation was not the best and it is the same clear example: Fellaini. He's playing so well that he's changing completely the relation."

Marouane Fellaini was one of Louis van Gaal's relative success stories but was still subjected to sarcastic cheers and catcalls. His withdrawal was occasionally celebrated by United supporters who had scapegoated him shortly after David Moyes signed the Belgian for an inflated £27.5million on transfer deadline day three years ago.

Fellaini was generating heartfelt applause for his vigilance against Southampton. Opponents are now introduced to Fellaini's serene passing rather than his elbows and studs. He appears to have shed the irascibility of John McEnroe and inherited the serenity of Roger Federer, avoiding confrontation and playing with elegance. Sterner tests will come but he merits his place in the starting side.

Just two weeks ago, a vocal faction of United fans booed Fellaini at Wembley. His under-hit back pass that assisted Jamie Vardy's leveller sparked the outrage and perhaps the only surprise was the booing was not more widespread. Fellaini was sarcastically cheered during a friendly against Valencia in 2014, mutiny simmered when Van Gaal chose to replace Anthony Martial with him against CSKA Moscow last year and his withdrawal against West Ham in March's FA Cup quarter-final was celebrated. All three games were at Old Trafford and the reaction was widespread.

Mourinho refused to bow to the mob minority at Wembley and kept Fellaini on against Leicester. He had gestured the midfielder should have swept the ball out of play, rather than attempting to play it to David de Gea and what was overlooked was, despite the error, Fellaini had shown signs of improvement.

He did not transmit the confidence to his international form, but the phone call Fellaini received the day after Mourinho's presentation has done wonders. United have missed a skillful man-manager in Sir Alex Ferguson's absence. Some watched Moyes indulge his favourites and Van Gaal made playing for the club as tedious as watching the dressage.

Fellaini's awareness to actually intercept the original pass was as impressive as it was progressive. It is not a skill he is associated with, and it perhaps convinced Mourinho to retain him and demote Ander Herrera from the side that vanquished Bournemouth.

After the possession at Bournemouth it was pressing against Southampton. The visitors enjoyed the majority of possession in M16 but United threatened more, with Fellaini patrolling the middle third and breaking up attacks, affording Paul Pogba the 'freedom' Mourinho has rewarded him. Van Gaal opined United pressed better with Fellaini and he has the legs on Michael Carrick and the discipline Herrera lacks.

Fellaini has always been an asset in an attacking role but excelled in a more defensive-minded position, where he plodded under Moyes and Van Gaal, devoid of confidence under the former and restricted by the latter. Fellaini shone brighter at Bournemouth on a day United's attack was not dominated by the absent Paul Pogba but his effort against Southampton was arguably more pleasing, so effortless was his adaption to a deeper role in order to accommodate Pogba.

"Maybe a simple phone call can make a difference," Mourinho explained on Friday. "The player that was feeling not loved, a player that was feeling when the market opened, everybody was saying he was leaving, everybody was writing was not the player for me, he was on the move, maybe a simple phone call the day after my presentation changed a lot."

Fellaini needn't have worried if he had recalled Mourinho's instructions to Kurt Zouma, who man-marked him at Stamford Bridge last year. "I had to stay with Fellaini because we knew he is on fire at the moment," Zouma said. Ferguson deployed a similar tactic during United's February 2013 win over Everton, when Phil Jones shadowed Fellaini.

Despite his imposing stature, Fellaini has at times looked half as tall at United. The quality filter cannot prevent every snide tweet appearing in his Twitter notifications and he will doubtless be aware his dribble-and-tackle into touch against Bayern Munich went viral during that sorry season under Moyes. Chided, jeered and booed, Fellaini has shown remarkable resilience to overcome the detractors.

Moments before the final shrill on Friday, Mourinho turned to the south stand and applauded them, before waving at the Stretford End. The atmosphere was not as 'magnificent' as he insisted it was, but United supporters had responded to his demand for a better 'relation' with Fellaini.

No wonder he was happy.