Are you still up for a trip on the bus with fans if we win the league?”

José Mourinho smiled and nodded. Last December, when his team had won two from the previous eleven league games, I requested an interview with him for United We Stand fanzine. The mag is sold at United games home and away, the readership predominantly hardcore match-going fans – those who’d continued to back their new manager when the mainstream media was showing signs of turning.

Mourinho immediately agreed and gave us an hour of his time. He was enthusiastic, keen to put a few rights wrong (such as the story that he hated living in Manchester) and eager to learn more nuances about the club. Did supporters really want him – as well as the players – to applaud away fans at the end of matches. Yes. Was the term “Man U” preferred? No.

At the end, he was asked, “Do you fancy a trip on the Monkey Bus to a future away game? Maybe one when you are banned from the touch line so we can have a proper drink. You bring a decent bottle of port and we’ll sort the cheese?”

The Monkey Bus is a coach of United fans that started running in 1991. It’s mainly Manchester Reds, but all are welcome. It’s mostly male, but two female pensioners are regulars and there’s a big spread of ages. They’re decent working people who love to follow their local football team, which happens to be Manchester United.

After enquiring about the bus, Mourinho smiled and said: “Let’s do that not because I’m punished, let’s do that after we are crowned champions in an away game. Then I’ll come back with you rather than with the team.”

And if it ever happens, if United win the league, he’ll be fine and not smothered by a sea of selfie requests.

Mourinho remains very popular with United fans, far more than Louis van Gaal after 12 months, even though Van Gaal’s side had briefly played far more entertaining football than anything we’ve seen from Mourinho’s pragmatic United so far.

Despite optimistic words when he was unveiled, Mourinho knew that his team was well short of bossing a side capable of wining the league. He’s spent heavily, £295 million in little over 12 months after Monday’s capture of Nemanja Matić – and he wants to spend more. Though United still have some way to go before they can properly go toe-to-toe with Barcelona (who brought their best players on in last week’s Washington friendly and outclassed United) or next week’s European Super Cup opponents Real Madrid in Skopje.

Slowly, but surely, Mourinho is getting his men. They’re usually six foot plus (Matić is 6ft 4in) and, in the hit and miss world of football transfers, they’re usually hits. Not one of his United signings can be considered a flop. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was excellent and may return, Paul Pogba had a good first season at Old Trafford, as did Eric Bailly. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was usually fine once he started being selected and is confident of being the third man in a three-man midfield alongside Matić and Pogba. Ander Herrera is too, though United won’t limit themselves to a set formation, even within games.

Mourinho will tweak dependent on the opponents – and United have to do that because they’re still not strong enough to let the opponents do the worrying. Mourinho helps make up for any shortfall in talent by meticulous planning. He watched Europa League opponents Ajax eight times before the May game in Stockholm, a game he correctly gambled on winning to get United into the Champions League this season.

That win in Stockholm was a great relief to the former Porto, Chelsea, Internazionale and Real Madrid manager. And to his family, for one of the season’s best moments was watching his overjoyed teenage son dodge security to jump on his father after the final whistle, bringing him to the ground.

© PA Photos

Mourinho has mellowed slightly, he probably had to if he’s going to stay long term at Old Trafford and his players adore him. He chooses his enemies carefully and he’s even more careful before going public on them. They include various officials, the Premier League and a few London journalists whom he felt hammered him towards the end of his second spell at Stamford Bridge. And that’s absolutely fine with United fans, who’d rather be hated and rated by nonbelievers, than adored or ignored.

The Portuguese also has his moments of tension with his boss Ed Woodward. While it’s odd to see them briefing separately – and contrasts to the tight Sir Alex Ferguson/David Gill axis - the pair largely get on well. Ideally, Mourinho would have landed his four preferred targets earlier, but the transfer market was slow to start moving this summer and United have now got three of the four players their manager identified. They’ve done that without selling a single key squad member, but there will be more transfer activity in the next month, both incoming and outgoing. If United are to punch at their weight then they need at least one more star player, someone to lift the mood in the dressing like Robin van Persie did when he arrived from Arsenal, someone to excite fans and the many sponsors the club courts.

Mourinho needs to improve significantly on United’s sixth place finish last season and there’s genuine optimism from United fans that he will do. Though fans still think the United squad needs improvement, with settled full-backs, a wide man and even another midfielder, Paul Pogba, now the main man in the dressing room, should benefit as much from a full pre-season at the presence of Matić behind him and his close friend Romelu Lukaku in front. David de Gea will stay, free from the speculation that has clouded too much of his time in Manchester. Luke Shaw hopes to come back from injury and finally fulfil his immense potential. Mourinho likes him – and United fans like Mourinho, but this is a huge season for him.

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