Jose Mourinho has reportedly been given a vote of confidence by Manchester United officials in terms of the Portuguese avoiding 'third season syndrome' at Old Trafford this term.

The 55-year-old left his first spell at Chelsea shortly after starting his fourth season at the club, before a successful two-year stay at Inter Milan preceded a three-year stint at Real Madrid.

Mourinho then returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2013 and won the 2014-15 Premier League title and EFL Cup but once again departed in his third season with the Blues 16th in the table.

According to Sky Sports News, United officials believe that there are differences in that Mourinho was coming off the back of winning titles at Real and Chelsea ahead of those respective departures.

In addition, the club hierarchy is believed to be happy with the squad chemistry, the mood at the club and the players at Mourinho's disposal, and that improvement year-on-year in terms of performances and results under the head coach is deemed as "obvious to see".

The report has emerged in wake of rumours suggesting that former Bernabeu boss Zinedine Zidane is interested in the United job.