After a slow start at Manchester United, many were wondering whether Jose Mourinho's managerial magic had faded after his disastrous 2015/16 at former club Chelsea.

If anything motivates the main man at Old Trafford though, it's adversity. United have been on a tare-up recently, unbeaten in their last sixteen fixtures in all competitions since losing to Fenerbahce in the Europa League all the way back in early November.

It has left United fans buoyant about the future of the club, finally sensing that they can get back to the pinnacle of English and European football.

Things have been tough since Sir Alex Ferguson retired with patchy form, mind-numbing styles of play and strange signings adding to poor finishing positions in the Premier League.

Are those feelings justified? Is Jose Mourinho bringing the club back towards greatness?

Here are are THREE things that show the Portuguese manager is doing exactly that...

That winning run

Manchester United's winning run in all competitions between 8th December and 10th January was their longest winning streak since 2009, well into Sir Alex Ferguson's reign as United boss.

The most impressive of those wins came at home to Spurs and away to Crystal Palace.

Mauricio Pochettino's side arrived at Old Trafford with United having not won their last three Premier League games. Serious questions were being asked by Mourinho. A hard fought 1-0 win delighted the United fans and started the nine-game streak.

At Selhurst Park, United were playing their second game in three days and on their way to a draw before Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic combined in the 88th minute to give them a vital win. That was the catalyst for a new spirit of determination at United and they haven't looked back since.

Winning and unbeaten runs like this hark back to the days of Ferguson and are perhaps the biggest sign Mourinho is on his way to making United a force again.

Attack, attack, attack!

Jose Mourinho has taken his responsibility to play attacking football at United seriously. The Old Trafford side have scored in their last 17 games in a row.

Over the last month, there's been a real flair about how the team go about their business with Mourinho deploying Pogba further forward and bringing Henrikh Mkhitaryan into the fold.

Mkhitaryan in particular is thrilling fans with his brand of football, scoring some magical goals and generally looking as silky as it gets in a Manchester United shirt.

United may not be scoring as freely as the teams above them in the Premier League but recent performances against Sunderland, West Ham and Reading show that Mourinho is starting to make it click in the final third.

Big names, big performances

In the period between Sir Alex Ferguson leaving Old Trafford and Mourinho joining, United's first team signings mostly left a lot to be desired.

United fans were coveting the biggest names in Europe but moves for players like Everton's Marouane Fellaini left them feeling a bit hollow.

As soon as Mourinho stepped into the hot-seat the big names followed. Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic; players that are bringing United to the next level.

Both players have been absolutely crucial this season and they're the type of signings United need to get back to regular Champions League football and challenging for the title. That's the standard Ferguson set, after all.