Premier League clubs have started this year's Champions League campaign in fine form, but Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has dismissed the possibility of the start of a golden era for English teams in Europe.
All five English teams who are competing in the Champions League this season have either secured their place in the knock-out stages or are in a strong position to do so.
Manchester City and Tottenham have already made it out of their groups, United and Liverpool top theirs, while Chelsea are still likely to qualify, despite sitting in second place.
Their recent form suggests it could be a promising season for the Premier League contingent after a disappointing spell in Europe's elite competition in recent years. In the five seasons since Chelsea's unlikely win back in 2011-12 only two English teams have made the semi-finals (Chelsea in 2013-14 and Manchester City in 2015-16), while last season, Leicester City were the only English side to make it past the round of 16.
However, despite the recent signs of positivity, Mourinho has dismissed any suggestion that this could be the start of a dominant period for Premier League clubs.
“No, I don’t think so," he told 'The Mirror', when asked if the tide was shifting in England's favour in Europe.
"I don’t think so because I always say the Champions League only starts in February and in February, the English teams are after December and January where we can play 20 matches over two months and the Germans, the French, the Spanish, the Italians, they all come from a winter break."
"So I think they arrive in better conditions than the English teams.
"It's also a fact that any match you play in this country, if you don't go strong, you lose."
Time will tell if the Portuguese coach is right, and the lack of winter break will affect the English sides, after their great start to the season in the Champions League.