Luke Shaw thanks fans after return from horror injury

Jose Mourinho the head coach / manager of Manchester United during the pre-season friendly between Wigan Athletic and Manchester United at JJB Stadium on July 16, 2016 in Wigan, England.

Mourinho and the 5,400 Reds hit it off instantly during Saturday’s 2-0 win at Wigan, as United’s following chanted Mourinho’s name just two minutes into the game and serenaded him with “Mourinho’s Red and White Army”.

After three years of disappointing results and even less inspiring performances under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, there is a sense of enthusiasm at least that Mourinho, a league title victor wherever he has been, can return to glory days to England’s most successful club.

“It is nice to feel welcome and that they are behind the team”, said Mourinho.

The game will be José Mourinho’s first as United boss and, despite the absence of 13 players who’ve been given an extended break following global duty, there is still plenty to get excited about.

“There was the manifestation of happiness [from them] about a few things they could see in the team which was absolutely fantastic”.

But the United manager will nevertheless have gained satisfaction, and information, from the game with the new playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the first Armenian to play in the Premier League, particularly bright in the ppening exchanges.

The Portuguese sold Mata, 28, from Chelsea to United for £37.5million in January 2014 despite the fact he had won Player of the Year for the two previous seasons.

“With Eric, the way the fans showed how much they liked his performance when I changed him is enough”, Mourinho added.

United now travel to China for friendly games against Borussia Dortmund in Shanghai and a Manchester derby with City in Beijing.

Five minutes later the travelling support was demanding a wave so Mourinho did his best to ignore them.

“If I could tell them that, I would tell them directly, to support the players”.

“I’m happy with some principles of our play – offensively and defensively – that we worked on in training”, he explained.

Man United on the other hand enter a new era this weekend, with Mourinho taking to the touchline for the first time as manager.