Jose Mourinho has been extremely successful in European football over the past 15 years or so but the Portuguese boss has often been criticised for his failure to utilise young players efficiently, whilst the core of his title-winning squads has often been swiftly broken down following his exit- but it appears that’s set to change at Manchester United.

Following a transitional season that saw Manchester United lift three trophies, Mourinho is prepared to spend heavily once again to improve his side ahead of a return to the Champions League. Crucially though, he’s targeting top-class young talents who can provide an impact at Old Trafford long after his reign comes to a close.

The captures of Paul Pogba and Eric Bailly last summer, both of whom are 24 or under, started Mourinho’s project at Old Trafford and he’s continued in the same fashion this summer, signing 22-year-old defender Victor Lindelof to partner Bailly in the heart of defence and closing in on a significant deal for Everton striker Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku, who turned 24 in May, has established himself as one of the finest Premier League striker’s in recent years and the general consensus is that he can hit new heights with Manchester United, filling the void left by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the imminent exit of club-legend Wayne Rooney.

With Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial also within the squad, although the trio face a fight to secure regular opportunities at Old Trafford, Manchester United have assembled a core-squad that can excel moving forward- and it’s a significant improvement for a Jose Mourinho side.

Mourinho’s title winning side at Chelsea two-years ago struggled to defend their Premier League crown the following year and it took Antonio Conte to rejuvenate the line-up to get the Blues back on the path to success, whilst other managers have experienced similar when succeeding Mourinho.

This time around though, Manchester United look set for success regardless of how many years Mourinho stays at the club and it’s a huge step, particularly as Mourinho has historically not lasted longer than three years at any side in his career.

Manchester United will hope the Portuguese boss will change that during his tenure at Old Trafford but his signings mean he’ll continue to have a legacy at the club for arguably the next decade, as the signings he has made have the capability of becoming superstars.