I'm not the monster people say I am: Mourinho

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has insisted that he is not the "monster" he was portrayed to be when he joined the club in 2016.

"I think Man United have learnt I'm not the monster people say I am," Sport24 quoted Mourinho as saying.

"I'm not such a bad guy, an arrogant guy, a difficult person to work with, at least until now nobody at the training ground runs away when I arrive!"

"So I think I'm better than you (the media) think -- people are quite happy to have me around and to work with me," he added.

The 54-year-old, who arrived at Old Trafford after being sacked from Chelsea last season, became the first United manager to win a trophy in his first season at Old Trafford when he collected the League Cup with a thrilling victory against Southampton.

And the Portuguese would be aiming to add more achievements to his name when he takes United's challenge in the Europa League to Russian side Rostov.

"The relationship with the players is very good, and the relationship with my owners and my board I don't think is just professional, it's also one of trust and one that goes further than the contract, the manager, the owner, the board, so I'm happy," he said.

"My feeling is everyone is happy but my contract is three years, not seven or eight months and I want evolution and improvement."

Last year, it was speculated that Mourinho could stay with the club beyond the three-year contract he signed in the summer as the club are delighted with the start the side have made and believe he is the man to bring a 21st league title to Old Trafford.

It was understood that the Glazer family, the owners of the club, were in favour of extending Mourinho's stay at the Old Trafford.

In October, he had said, "I would like to stay here for many, many years. That would mean that probably I wouldn't be searching for another club in the Premier League."

United have an option to extend Mourinho's contract by a year, which would take him to 2020, and could well activate it at the end of this season.