Man Utd Special: Rating Red Devils’ season, Jose Mourinho, summer signings and more

MANCHESTER UNITED’S season has gotten off to a flier with the Red Devils flourishing under Jose Mourinho. Here, Express Sport dissects their campaign so far.

Fans chant explicit song about Romelu Lukaku

How is the season going?

Manchester United had big expectations when Mourinho succeeded Louis van Gaal in the summer of 2016.

And, despite struggling to live up the hype last season, all signs so far point to a successful campaign.

Only Stoke and Real Madrid have stopped Manchester United winning so far. They appear to have regained their swagger and look every bit as swashbuckling as they did under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Tougher tests lie ahead but, for now, opposition fans have precious little to mock them about. Unlike the days of Van Gaal and David Moyes.

What about Jose Mourinho?

The Special One appeared jaded from his difficult second spell at Chelsea last term, cutting a somewhat miserable figure.

But Mourinho, like the mood around Old Trafford, is on the up.

The 54-year-old looks far more at ease than he did 12 months ago, something that can be credited to the Red Devils’ Europa League triumph back in May.

He has got everything bang on so far, although did receive his marching orders against Southampton last month. Still, nobody’s perfect.

Manchester United Lukaku Mourinho Premier LeagueGETTY

Man Utd News: Romelu Lukaku and Jose Mourinho are enjoying Old Trafford life

Rating the summer signings

Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrived last summer. On paper, that looked good enough to win the title.

However, it wasn’t to be and Mourinho loosened the purse strings once again this year, landing Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic.

Lindelof has had a rocky start but Lukaku and Matic are already among the most important players in their squad. Lukaku, with 11 goals in his first 10 games, has the potential to be one of their best ever signings.

And then, of course, there is the return of Ibrahimovic to come. His return should give United an added edge if they are still challenging for the title in January.

Manchester United Matic Mourinho rating seasonGETTY

Man Utd News: Nemanja Matic has settled into life at Old Trafford marvellously

Honourable mentions

Marcus Rashford has looked superb, while Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young are enjoying a fine run of form either side of the defence.

But Anthony Martial and Marouane Fellaini are the success stories so far.

Martial struggled last season but the Frenchman has returned to form, scoring five goals and registering six assists from his first 11 games.

And Fellaini, a very divisive figure among the supporters, is slowly but surely emerging into one of the first names on Mourinho’s team sheet. Keeping Ander Herrera out is very impressive indeed.

Manchester United Matic Mourinho rating seasonGETTY

Man Utd News: Anthony Martial has regained the form that made him frightening under Louis van Gaal

Who has been a let down?

Luke Shaw is liked among fans but not by Mourinho. It seems a matter of time before his Old Trafford nightmare comes to an end.

Lindelof, as touched on above, also represents a huge question mark.

The Sweden international's stock was so high Mourinho nearly signed him in January.

But the 54-year-old appears reluctant to throw him into Premier League action - and there could be an underlying reason why.

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