Jose Mourinho keeping Manchester United on the edge by whipping up a storm ahead of his return to Chelsea

Old Trafford, unusually, was as calm as a mill pond. Barely a ripple of discontent. Too calm it seems for Jose Mourinho. So, out of the blue, the Manchester United manager threw a couple of rocks into the water.

It began when he reverted to safety-first tactics against Liverpool, continued when he appeared to court Paris St Germain openly and culminated with him publicly rebuking his team for a woeful, passionless defeat at Huddersfield.

Now the waters are choppy, and it almost feels like the Portuguese prefers it that way. That a bit of controversy and edginess keeps everybody more focused. 

Mourinho does not do serenity. Indeed, even though the club are second in the Premier League, you can expect him to wear a scowl when he emerges from the team bus on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. It has been like that for some time now.

Chelsea fans will probably recognise the Special One’s modus operandi. The ability, whether by design or not, to turn a picnic into a drama.

In his last managerial spell at Chelsea, the club descended from winning the 2015 Premier League into a toxic, relegation-threatened shambles. Chelsea had no alternative but to end his tenure for a second time, cutting short his second spell at the club hours after the staff Christmas lunch because of “palpable discord with the players”, according to technical director Michael Emenalo.

Manchester United seized the opportunity to recruit a serial winner and, hopefully, end the chaos at the club that followed Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

Mourinho should have been delighted to sign up for the job that he appeared to have coveted for so long. Far from it, judging by his demeanour at press conferences since being appointed in the summer of last year.

The Manchester press pack were promised an engaging personality by their London colleagues, who had often been entertained in their weekly sit-downs with Mourinho. Save for one or two asides, it has rarely been so congenial this season. Nobody expected a stand-up comedian but Mourinho’s conferences have largely been subdued.

He relaxed a touch in the second half of last season as victories in the League Cup and Europa League made it a successful campaign for United. But he has sunk back into pouting mode this season despite a start in which his side’s free-scoring form recalled the halcyon days of the Ferguson era, with Mourinho eventually losing his cool after the collapse at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Not that the players did not deserve to be openly criticised for a performance so lacking in spirit. However, much of United’s support have been brought up on a manager in Ferguson who protected his players from public shaming.

The paint on the dressing room walls blistered after his infamous ‘hairdryer’ rants but Ferguson avoided criticising his charges in public. Instead the Scot diverted the blame for lacklustre performances. Often, Ferguson would turn the focus on the performance of the referee and not how bad United had been.

Mourinho wears his heart on his sleeve in a different way and a number of players, not least Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling and Ander Herrera, have been reprimanded in public.

Of late, that has led to suggestions that Mourinho is heading towards an abrupt meltdown at Old Trafford, with some citing a track record in which he has not stayed as manager at any club for more than three years.

Mourinho insisted his morose manner does not evidence any great drama. Asked if he is frustrated, he replied, “No. Just a difficult week. Big matches, injuries, tired … just normal.”

There is concern among fans that he has suddenly become unsettled at Old Trafford. So, is he happy at the club? “Yes. I love my players. You try to create a history [story] because of my words after Huddersfield but there is no history about it. I don’t know where you get this kind of stories, but yes I am happy.”

Juan Mata was with Mourinho at Stamford Bridge before the coach discarded the two-time Chelsea player of the year, selling him to United in January 2014.

The Spaniard knows Mourinho’s methods intimately and has been the victim of some of his more controversial ways, but the midfielder insists his outburst after the Huddersfield game - United’s only defeat this season - is nothing to get unduly concerned about.

“I have seen it a few times when he has been very angry,” Mata said. “It was one of those days. He just hates to lose and every time his team does lose, he gets angry – that’s normal.”

This is what you get with Mourinho. Turbulence and tranquility in equal measure. It is the price you pay for a CV that boasts 24 trophies.

As the United manager returns to the club with whom he won eight of those pieces of silverware, he says he is just one more from earning his due recognition. 

“I think that probably 25 trophies is the line that people made about a successful manager,” he said. “I have 25 but I still need one more. So maybe when I win one more trophy I have a little bit of credit, but that’s not a problem.”

Whether that landmark will be reached with Manchester United remains to be seen.