Even Sir Alex 'needed a few years' to succeed - Mourinho

Cape Town - Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has insisted the good results will come in time by drawing attention to the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson took time to create a winning side.

The Red Devils, who drew 1-1 against Arsenal over the weekend, are sixth in the Premier League table and nine points adrift of leaders Chelsea.

Mourinho is preparing his men for their Europa League match against Feyenoord on Thursday and says his players are "happy" heading into the fixture.

“I think by playing well the future can be bright. The team is happy with the way they’re playing, they are happy with the direction,” insisted Mourinho.

“With our style of play we are keeping people believing that the good results will come.

“The best manager in PL history needed a few years to build a successful period, if the best needed time then others do too.

“The three year contract I was given is a fair period of time.

“My three years isn’t just about transfer windows, it is about building relationships with the players.

“I am not waiting for my third season for good results, I am doing my best to get results in my first season.

“The job is as difficult as I was expecting, when I said I wanted to win the Premier League this year, I said it was risky.

“I still can’t believe how we didn’t win our last three home games because we played so well, yet we didn’t win.”

United currently sit third in Group A of the Europa league and a point off leaders Fenerbache with two games remaining.

Kickoff is at 2205.