It seems odd to suggest that a man can become any more mature between the ages of 40 and 53.
But, strangely, it appears as though that claim might apply to Jose Mourinho who, since arriving at Manchester United, has displayed none of the brashness that made his name in the early 2000s.
A lot of that could well be down to the fact that the new United boss has not been put under any pressure yet by the media and he could start to show glimpses of the petulant Mourinho if the Red Devils start dropping points in the Premier League.
One area in which his maturity is clear to see is the way that he has broached the subject of United legends’ dissenting voices in recent seasons.
Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs did not hold back in their criticism of their former club as they made the move from pitch to punditry.
WATCH: A Paul Scholes groan is all it takes to sum up Manchester United's performance http://t.co/AerJNes4Wm pic.twitter.com/8NJYUVJqf9
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Everything from the mentality of United’s current crop of players to the transfer policy of the club came in for ridicule and previous manager Louis van Gaal blamed the likes of Scholes and Ferdinand for piling pressure on his position towards the end of last season.
It’s early doors yet for Mourinho but the Portuguese has taken a different tack entirely to his predecessor when it comes to the topic of ex-players commenting on the goings-on at Old Trafford.
“At this club you find legends from five years ago, legends of 10 years ago, legends of 15 years ago and legends of 20 years ago,” he said in The Sunday Times .
Watch: Roy Keane take on Manchester United's decline will resonate with all of the club's fans https://t.co/SXIjgklExp
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“Their voice becomes very powerful. That is something you have to understand. When people belong to the club history, they are different to a normal pundit. You have to look at them in a different way. You have to be respectful with these guys.
“They are so powerful in the fans’ world that they can influence positively or negatively. The fans love them, so when they are positive they can unite and when they are negative they can create a more difficult situation.
“They are working and have to try to be honest and independent. So, myself, as Manchester United manager cannot ask them, ‘You belong to our history, you are here to help.’ You have to accept that if they are happy with the team they can elevate the support; if they are not happy maybe they can disturb and make things more difficult.
“I would say to them, ‘You are welcome at the training ground.’ Any time you want to give an opinion, welcome, it is your house, it is your home and you can be back when you want.”
