Do Mourinho's methods work with young players today?

The Manchester United manager is a very different character to the one he was when he first arrived in England. When he was once funny, the darling of the media and warm he now seems dour, glum and monotonous. Is this the product of a long career in a high pressure environment? Or could it be his exasperation with modern footballers?  

Based on comments made to 'France football' it looks like this could definitely be the case. Speaking about young footballers Mourinho lamented: "Today I call them boys not men because I think that they are brats and that everything that surrounds them does not help them in their life or in my work,".

With such a disdain for younger talent is it a coincidence that the players who have performed above expectations at Old Trafford under his reign are older?

Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, all over 30, performed for Mourinho, young guns Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba have not. 

Although it would be presumptuous to make conclusions from this limited sample size, the pattern hs repeated again and again ever since Mourinho's time at Inter. Not a single player who took to the field in to deliver the Champions League and complete their treble was under 25.

His preference for older players was clear again in his second spell at Chelsea. Things only went sour at Stamford Bridge once senior figures Frank Lampard and John Terry had both left and younger players became the experienced heads at Stamford Bridge. When this happened Mourinho lost the dressing room. Spectacularly. 

The Pogba feud is only the latest in a long line of incidents, proving that Mourinho is far more adept at dealing with experienced professionals, rather than up and coming stars. 

Former Chelsea captain Terry speaking to 'Sky Sports' last year told a story about Mourinho wanting to ''humiliate'' the defender by threatening to replace him in front of the whole squad.

These methods may have worked with Terry's generation, but based on the evidence of his last two spells in management. they do not anymore. 

Jose Mourinho was undoubtedly a brilliant manager in his prime. However it appears he has been unable to sufficiently adapt to the demands of modern footballers.