Wednesday 25 January 2017 08:01, UK
Jose Mourinho's progress at Manchester United has been endorsed by the club's most successful manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.
United turned to Mourinho in the summer after deciding neither David Moyes nor Louis van Gaal was the right man to replicate Ferguson's glory years at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese's first season has not been without its troubles, as the autumn brought two touchline bans and a run of one win from eight Premier League games.
But United, who face Hull in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday, live on Sky Sports, are unbeaten in 17 games and Ferguson believes Mourinho's players are taking their lead from the manager's growing sense of belonging in the job.
"I think Jose is finding solutions now," the Scot told BBC Sport. "There was a period earlier in the season when he wasn't getting the decisions and his emotions boiled over.
"You see him now - he is calm and in control. That is the obvious observation I am making of the team now. The team is mirroring its manager.
"On Saturday at Stoke, they played to the last kick of the ball. They never gave in and got their rewards to take something from the game with that great Wayne Rooney goal.
"And did you see what he did? Ran to the halfway line. No celebration. Pointed to the ball as if to say 'get it, we are going to win this'. That is exactly the spirit Jose has created.
"You can see he has got to grips with the club. The team is playing really well and he has been very unlucky. He has had six 1-1 draws and in every game he has battered the opposition.
"If they hadn't had all these draws, they would be there challenging Chelsea. That is the unfortunate part but he is going to have to live with that."
Ferguson's haul of trophies during 27 years at the club included 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues.
In the three seasons since his retirement, United have won just one, last season's FA Cup under Van Gaal.
