Jose Mourinho insists he is not burdened by the weight of expectation at Manchester United – unlike his opposite number on Boxing Day.

David Moyes makes his first return to Old Trafford since he was sacked in April 2014 after just 10 months in charge at United, having succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson.

The job of managing United ultimately proved too much for Moyes, who took the Reds from champions to seventh, their worst-ever Premier League finish.

In contrast to Moyes, who always seemed an ill-fit for United, Mourinho felt at home the moment he was appointed and is relishing taking them back to the top.

David Moyes was axed after just 10 months at the helm

“I don’t feel it as a burden,” said Mourinho. “I feel the great history of the club as only a positive thing and not a negative thing.

“The problem is if you have the conditions to follow that success and history. And then that’s a different story.

“For me it was easy. A difficult job, but easy to feel at home. Easy to feel good in the club, easy to feel that the club wants to progress, the people want to be happy again and I felt good immediately.

“So, after five or six months here, I’m really feeling at home. For me it was quite easy.

Sir Alex Ferguson left big shoes to fill (
Image:
Getty)

“Obviously expectations are high, results are up and down, and we’re in a position that is not the position we want to be.

“But in terms of passion for my work, passion for my new club, and feeling really happy here, yes.”

Mourinho, 53, did concede Moyes - the same age - arrived at United at a difficult moment, having to follow Ferguson – who had just won his 13th Premier League title – at a time when the Premier League was becoming increasingly competitive.

Moyes also inherited an ageing squad from Ferguson, a point acknowledged by Mourinho, who has continued to bring down the age profile of the squad, a process begun by his predecessor Louis van Gaal.

Louis van Gaal also endured a miserable time at Old Trafford (
Image:
Getty)

“It’s one thing to have Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt, all those guys at 25, 26, 27,” said Mourinho.

“It’s another thing to have them at 31 or 32, another thing if it doesn’t happen. Obviously that plays a part, so there are generations and in a certain period, when David came, the situation was probably not so easy, not so easy to go in that winning direction.

“At the same time - I think this is even more important - the Premier League was changing.

“I knew the evolution of the Premier League and that periods of domination belonged to the past, because it was going already in an incredible direction and it is what it is now.

Jose Mourinho has turned things around after a sticky start (
Image:
Man Utd via Getty)

“But I think a manager who’s not sacked is not a manager, or at least is not a good manager. We have to be sacked.

“So I think it was just a bad moment in David’s career and he has to do what I did, what we all do, move on and he did that.

“After United he went to Spain, also a different experience for him, then back to England, back in the Premier League. He moved on and this is what we have to do.”

After a tough start, in terms of results, Mourinho’s United are unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions and have won their last three in the Premier League.

Against the backdrop of that upturn, Mourinho has spoken about extending his three-year contract and has found contentment after his turbulent second spell at Chelsea, which ended with his sacking.

“I don’t like to compare [clubs],” said Mourinho.

“When I leave clubs I close the door, a chapter, I wish them goodbye and I try to be happy too.

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“What I can say is that in here I felt people with open arms, a very calm and intelligent board and owners. They know what they want. They have big experience already.

“They’re very calm, very pragmatic and giving me good conditions to work in.”

United fans may get an uncomfortable reminder of their recent dark past today with the return of Moyes, but the future certainly looks much brighter under Mourinho.

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