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Jose Mourinho

LONDON. — There is a smile back on the face, a glint back in the eye.

There was a fear the real Jose Mourinho had been lost. Worn down by too many battles, too many fall outs, too much emotion spent on lifting great clubs up and putting them back on the road to glory.

Golfer Nick Faldo once said people have only so much “life energy” and his was finally used up in his stunning comeback against Greg Norman to claim his sixth and final major at the 1996 US Masters.

There was simply not enough left to reach those levels again. It looked like that could have been the case with Mourinho as he endured a difficult start to his United reign which plummeted to a real low point with a 4-0 defeat at his former club Chelsea in October last year.

But this is a man made of strong stuff. The size of a task that seemed to overwhelm and even bemuse the two managers who went before him was not going to beat him.

The man management of the whole club that he has shown in just over a year in charge has been truly impressive. The spirit was gone, the club had become listless.

Manchester United fans can be the most loyal and supportive in football but even they booed their own manager Louis van Gaal when he climbed the steps at Wembley to take his turn in lifting the FA Cup.

There was far more to mend than a dysfunctional team that was boring the pants off Old Trafford when Mourinho arrived. He has done that with his words, his passion. Mourinho has reconnected the fans to the players.

While there is nothing like dominating, there is even more excitement about a comeback when you have been written off. About rising again when there have been others milking their time on the throne you once called your own.

The momentum from last season’s victory in the Europa League Final has carried into the first game of this. The thumping 4-0 victory over West Ham was undoubtedly the most convincing performance since Sir Alex hung up his hair-dryer.

It is one game, yes, but the signs have been there for some time that United are on their way back under Mourinho.

It will still be a big ask to win the league this season ahead of neighbours Manchester City, while Chelsea and Spurs wrestle with problems behind the scenes.

But Mourinho finds ways to win.

He was on the ropes, he has bounced back and United are a heavyweight once again. — The Sun.