Ghanaian international Michael Essien insists Jose Mourinho is the right man for the Manchester United job despite the ongoing scrutiny and has backed him to succeed at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese boss was reportedly set to be sacked regardless of the result against Newcastle United but those rumors were dismissed by the Reds prior to their stunning Premier League comeback in Manchester.

The 55-year-old gaffer – who has continued to cut a glum and frustrated figure – has dominated headlines amid reports of a fractured relationship with star midfielder Paul Pogba and dressing-room unrest as United sit seven points off the pace.

However the former Black Stars midfielder backed Mourinho to arrest the club's woes.

'For me, Jose is still the same. He hasn't changed. He still has the fighting spirit, he's still going to work hard to change things. For me he is always the same.

“He had a very big influence on me and we'll always have this father and son relationship. He's a fighter and a winner and he wants to win. Knowing him he'll do everything to change things.'

Essien was brought in from Lyon in 2005, there for the peak Mourinho years at Chelsea, when the Portuguese seemed unable to do wrong. Their dynamic was so strong that Mourinho took him to Real Madrid on loan when everything was falling apart around him.

By Daraja Mutari