Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. Forlan's column is written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.
For the first time in a long while, I am really enjoying watching Manchester United.
My old club went through a bad phase after Alex Ferguson retired, with too many players and managers in a short period. I am not surprised.
The great man controlled everything and made the club his own, with things exactly how he liked them. I have huge respect for him and flew around the world to attend a dinner to mark his 25 years in charge.
It was almost impossible to expect a manager to slot in without problems, and for three years United were not the club they had been for decades. Fans who had considered finishing third a failure had to get used to their team finishing seventh and outside of a European qualifying place.
Read more:
■ Diego Forlan: Teams, fans, figures – Premier League is back, and it is best
■ Thomas Woods: Smart decisions by Mourinho key to Manchester United's upturn
Fans mocked teams who played in the Europa League, yet United are now playing in the competition for the second time in as many years.
The team are not fully back; they are still sixth in the Premier League. But I see clear signs of improvement, and they have won their last seven games – the type of runs Ferguson’s best sides went on.
All of the four summer signings made by Jose Mourinho, a successful manager wherever he has been, have come good.
Defender Eric Bailly, from my old club Villarreal, settled easily, even though most United fans had never heard of him. He is tough, fast and difficult for any attacker to play against because he has really good anticipation.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan took time to get in the team, but he looks like a wonderful player, a real creative force going forward. I loved his scorpion-kick goal against Sunderland.
Then there are the big two.
Record signing Paul Pogba continues to get better, to become his own man. I know he is already a top player with so much experience for his age, but he is playing Premier League football for the first time. Trust me, it is like no other football in the world and takes some getting used to.
Pogba is starting to become a dominant, creative player with plenty of skill but he has still got room to improve.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been magnificent and I am pleased he has been a success in England.
A lot of British people did not rate him and said he had never performed against their teams. Those critics have become much quieter now that he is scoring most weeks and has 18 goals so far, including 12 in his last 12 games.
They are important goals, too, like the late winner against Crystal Palace. Or key assists, because he is not so selfish to only think of himself.
To be doing what he is at 35 is incredible. I know what it takes to keep playing as you get older and it requires a massive effort, drive and commitment. You must really love football and be motivated to win trophies rather than by money.
To be performing at United shows how good Ibrahimovic is, but it is not just about him. He helps players around him by bringing them into play. His shooting accuracy is up there with the very best and he is also underrated in the air. He has been an excellent signing.
United are not just winning, they are playing well with an attacking intent which is not only creating lots of chances, but seeing some magnificent goals, too.
They took time. Throughout October and November, United were not winning. Two victories in 11 league games was a surprising statistic, but when a new team are coming together it takes time to click. When it does, as seems to be happening at Old Trafford, you see the confidence surge as that feeling of invincibility, which I wrote about last week, grows.
Against Middlesbrough on December 31, United came from behind with two late goals reminiscent of the great United sides of old. They never gave up and the crowd were right on top of Middlesbrough.
It is tough when you have 73,000 people against you. The Old Trafford roar is back. They are not a critical crowd who will turn up to protest at the training ground. I received a lot of support in Manchester, but they go quiet when they are not happy.
Against West Ham United, in their last win, United were lucky with some refereeing decisions, but referees are human and make mistakes. They have to decide in an instant, not after watching five replays from different angles. I have sympathy for them. United also suffered from some poor decisions against them when they were struggling.
With Ryan Giggs now gone, there is not a single player there from when I left the club in 2004. Wayne Rooney joined a few weeks after I had left, but I am pleased to say that the new team are impressing.
There is a nice mixture of young and old – Marcus Rashford, who I really like, changed the game at West Ham, and then you have technically excellent players from Spain, such as Juan Mata and Ander Herrera.
I played against them in the Primera Liga and they have both had their best seasons at United so far. The more attacking style suits players who have grown up being taught to play the ball forward. They turn in tight spaces and spot things earlier than others.
United are not at the level of Barcelona or Real Madrid, they are not even at the level of Chelsea so far, but United are a monster and the red devil is back with a fire in its mouth.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
