UNITED SPECIAL Happy days indeed for Mourinho
TWELVE months ago United went into the first international break of the season joint top of the Premier League with a 100 per cent record.
A year on, the Reds stand alone on top of the division with nine points from three games.
But life at Old Trafford is far more optimistic and rosy this time around.
Jose Mourinho has a better base from which to build on United’s start when the squad returns to prepare for Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium a week on Saturday.
Last year the Reds boss was getting his feet under the table at the club but was surrounded with major issues developing and clouding his introduction.
The first major controversy was Mourinho’s treatment of crowd favourite Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The United manager was unhappy with the German midfielder’s mentality on his arrival as Louis van Gaal’s successor.
Schweinsteiger had had injuries in his debut season at United and he had his treatment away from the Reds’ HQ at Carrington. The upshot was the much-respected 2014 World Cup winner was exiled by Mourinho. The 32-year-old was forced to train alone or with the youth side.
He ended the exile in October, but the treatment of the popular Schweinsteiger, later to be regretted by Mourinho when the German moved to Chicago Fire, wasn’t well received in the dressing room nor among United fans.
There’s no Schweinsteiger scenario this season. Quite the opposite with the Reds boss resigning Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
On top of Schweinsteiger there was unhappiness brewing with other Van Gaal buys Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay as they struggled to convince the new manager they should be part of his plans.
Their game time was limited and the situations simmered on until both left in the January transfer window. An unhappy camp was brewing. While players like Ander Herrera and Chris Smalling have yet to get a look-in this season, the same acrimony doesn’t appear to be under the surface. Twelve months ago Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s struggle to settle into the Premier League after the Bundesliga was played out in the public domain. The Armenian was sub in those opening three fixtures and was then thrown in for his first United start against City in the derby with disastrous consequences. Victor Lindelof has been spared the same spotlight. The £30m Swedish defender struggled in preseason and Mourinho immediately took him out of the firing line and he’s watched United’s start to the season either from the VIP seats or the bench. He’s been allowed to avoid potentially damaging scrutiny. Mourinho has swiftly addressed the problem rather than letting it fester. Late summer last year also saw the Wayne Rooney debate being