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NEIL ASHTON

Jose Mourinho is back: Back to his old self. Back in the hunt for trophies. Back to his devilish, mischievous best

Focused and firmly in control again, Mourinho is on to something good and tonight he gets the chance to reach a final - yet another final – with his new club

HE is back.

Back to his old self. Back in the hunt for trophies. Back to his devilish, mischievous best.

Jose Mourinho is looking back to his devilish managerial best
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Jose Mourinho is looking back to his devilish managerial bestCredit: Getty Images

Jose Mourinho, what with his latest grade-one haircut from the Lowry Hotel barber, is looking razor sharp again.

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The good behaviour bond is almost into a third month, trouble-free after serving a one-match ban for booting a water bottle when he had a wobbly against West Ham.

Focused, and firmly in control again, Mourinho is on to something good.

The United bos is now sporting a more streamlined haircut than he had as Wayne Rooneys late strike clinched a 1-1 Prem draw with Stoke on Saturday
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The United boss is now sporting a more streamlined haircut than he had as Wayne Rooney's late strike clinched a 1-1 Prem draw with Stoke on SaturdayCredit: Getty Images
Mourinho looked like he might be the one to need an arm around his shoulder at times during Uniteds shaky start to the season
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Mourinho looked like he might be the one to need an arm around his shoulder at times during United's shaky start to the seasonCredit: PA:Press Association
Mourinho cut a frustrated figure as results went against him early on
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Mourinho cut a frustrated figure as results went against him early onCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Tonight he gets the chance to reach a final - yet another final - with his new club Manchester United.

Hull, with their priorities narrowed down to somehow staying in the Premier League under Marco Silva, stand in their way.

Already 2-0 down from the first leg, they are unlikely to be able to put up too much of a fight.

Mourinho, serial finalist at Porto, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea, knows what it takes to survive grippy second legs.

The trip to the KCOM will be no different.

Mourinho, the ultimate trophy hunter, is eyeing up silverware against Southampton next month.

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The Community Shield won, narrowly, with victory over Leicester City at Wembley in August is already on display.

Putting the EFL Cup alongside it would look pretty good, too.

It would represent a start, with Mourinho and Manchester United on to something good again after the confused, chaotic reign of Louis Van Gaal.

The FA Cup win, secured against Crystal Palace in May, has almost been forgotten.

Marouane Fellaini netted the second goal in Uniteds 2-0 first-leg in
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Marouane Fellaini netted the second goal in United's 2-0 first-leg inCredit: Getty Images
Fellaini has already lifted one piece of silverware this season
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Mourinho has already lifted one piece of silverware this seasonCredit: EPA
Hull and Marco Silva now stand in the way of a Wembley final
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 Hull and Marco Silva now stand in the way of a Wembley finalCredit: Reuters

It is history, something belonging to another era, a period before the Special One arrived at Old Trafford.

The League Cup is Mourinho's traditional marker, a message to the rest of the Premier League that he is in English football on business.

He won three of them at Chelsea, with victories in 2005, 2007 and 2015.

If Mourinho reaches the final and goes on to beat Southampton, he will equal Sir Alex Ferguson and Bob Paisley's record of four wins in the competition.

Do that, and he really will be back.

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