It has been a sensational turnaround of fortunes for Jose Mourinho and his Manchester United side of late.

After a brilliant start to the season that saw the Red Devils win their first three league games, Mourinho's men then went on a run of six draws and three defeats in their next eleven league matches - a sequence that raised suggestions that the Portuguese boss may have finally lost his magic touch.

But since then there's been a brilliant response from Paul Pogba and co, with six wins on the bounce leaving just ten points between them in 5th and league leaders Chelsea. The title may be a little too far away now, but the race for a top-four berth and Champions League return is far from over with just under half the campaign still to be played.

So, why have things suddenly become so rosy at Man United? Well, here are THREE reasons...

Captain Carrick

Having been overlooked for most of the opening games of the season and tagged as one of the forgotten men in the Man United set up, the 35-year-old has been key to the Red Devils' change in form in recent games.

Benefitting from gaining experience from former bosses, the ex-Tottenham star has grown in leadership, composure, security and stability and is giving the Red Devils what Chelsea and Liverpool are getting from N'Golo Kante and Jordan Henderson respectively. It is also a plus to know that Man United have not lost any game that the Englishman has been involved in so far this term.

With Mourinho's men back in the contenders' positions, Carrick will play a vital role between now and the end fo the season.

Pogba's progression

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Paul Pogba's transfer has been one of the interesting stories of the season - the £89m paid was a world record, after all. That came with a lot of expectation, so it was not a surprise to see the Frenchman being criticised by the press for not showing enough in crucial games against Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea.

But the France midfielder has responded in emphatic fashion, scoring a wonder-goal in the 3-1 win away to Swansea, which was followed by his best display in a Man United shirt in the 1-1 draw against rivals Arsenal.

He is looking more confident now and his relationship with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his other team-mates is getting stronger and stronger. Mourinho will surely be happy with what he is seeing now from his star man.

The backline

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With the six straight wins Man United have enjoyed in recent games, it looks like Mourinho has found the right mix all over the pitch, with each player finally knowing what is expected of him.

But, we all know the big characteristic of a good Mourinho team - the defence. In Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo, the ex-Chelsea boss seem to have found the partnership he cherishes, and the Red Devils currently have the third best defence in the league behind Chelsea and Tottenham.

It remains to be seen if the ex-Porto boss will stick with the full-back options of Antonio Valencia, Luke Shaw and Matteo Darmian for the long-term, but, presently, all is looking well again at the Theatre of Dreams.