Mourinho's muse: Credit the manager for Young's late-career reinvention

As Jose Mourinho's managerial career nears its silver jubilee, one thing is clear: the man's stubbornness has become an obsession.

His tactics are persistent, his reasons unapologetic, and his Manchester United squad is an image of a notion of what he values in a player. Like a steadfast bachelor skimming the dating scene with a specific standard in mind, Mourinho has a type, and no United player is more emblematic of that than Ashley Young.

The Red Devils travelled to Vicarage Road on Tuesday to play a Watford side led by Marco Silva - Mourinho's successor to the throne of Portuguese tacticians - and United lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation that was as much a conservative approach as it was a show of respect. It was hardly necessary, as United overcame an early positive spell from the inspired Hornets to throttle Silva's lot, and among the best players on the pitch was Young.

By no means a poor player whilst plying his trade in an attacking role as part of a front-three at Aston Villa on his way to 31 England caps, Young has reinvented himself at United.

It helps that the 32-year-old is a prototypical Mourinho-type player. A tireless two-way footballer who values industry over flair, Young is a no-nonsense labourer whose versatility has shined in his late-career move to full-back. On Tuesday, he was shifted forward slightly as a left wing-back, and he was simply unplayable. If his 19th-minute rocket on the edge of the area was a subtle reminder of a previous incarnation as an attacker, his devastating free-kick six minutes later that bulged Heurelho Gomes' side netting was a symbol of a player recreated under his manager. Young's display amounted to more than a pair of tantalising tallies. He was dependable at both ends of the pitch, completed all but one of his passes, and chipped in with a pair of key tackles.

With table-topping rival Manchester City idle until Wednesday's date with Southampton, Mourinho and Co. have narrowed the gap to five points. The 4-2 victory over Watford was a deserved result, and the gaffer will be pleased to see Anthony Martial on form with his eighth goal in all comps and Paul Pogba the same menacing terror in midfield that he was prior to injury.

As much as United's title chances ride on the performances of its celebrated big-money stars, the club's trophy hopes are tethered as firmly to the displays of the likes of Jesse Lingard, Marouane Fellaini, and Young.

Football is rarely short on compelling narratives, and perhaps it's fitting that 14 years after Young scored on his senior debut with Watford at Vicarage Road in a 3-1 victory over Millwall, the 32-year-old starred again. Back where it all began, he's enjoying an atypical career arc courtesy of Mourinho's belief in a player refined in the manager's image.