COMMENT: Manchester United is clearly rubbing off on him. A transformation? A reinvention? Whatever it is, Jose Mourinho is undergoing it.
The Babes of Sir Matt: Edwards, Taylor, Bestie... it's what the club was built upon. And it's clearly having an effect on Mourinho.
In Italy, they're saying it's a done deal. Matteo Darmian has given the nod to Inter Milan and will return to Italy in January. He's had enough and - Tribalfootball.com was informed - after a word with Giampiero Ventura, the Italy coach, it was made clear this week's selection was a one-off. Darmian's needs to be playing to keep his place.
The chat with Ventura may've made his mind up, but Darmian was already seriously considering getting out. Seeing Timothy Fosu-Mensah, at 18, selected ahead of him in European and Cup competition had made things crystal clear - his time was up.
Mourinho obviously sees something in Fosu-Mensah he can work with. Yes, Mourinho. The same manager who apparently won't work with kids. No matter how talented. No matter how worthy they are of selection. Mourinho will not select them. Or so we've been told...
Choosing Fosu-Mensah over Darmian just wasn't in the script. History would have us expecting the manager to go with the established international. Get some miles into Darmian's legs. Keep him ticking over in case he is needed further into the season. Instead, it's the Dutch kid whose been given the opportunity.
Remember, this is the same Darmian who is now away with the Azzurri. Whose agent has been contacted by not only Inter, but also Juventus, Napoli and Roma about returning home in January. Darmian's no mug. His reputation is still intact.
But Mourinho is going with the kid. Just as he is regarding Marcus Rashford. And it's a shift in team selection. A show of courage. Something that deserves a bit of recognition from those who doubted the manager would buy into the club's philosophy.
This is courage. This is bottle. This is so much more than what Louis van Gaal and his advocates claimed he was doing last season.
There's no injury crisis at United. No need for Mourinho to dip into Warren Joyce's U23 team. Yet, he's gone with Rashford over Wayne Rooney. And also Fosu-Mensah over Darmian. Two 18 year-olds ahead of two established senior internationals. And that's not mention his support of Jesse Lingard.
It's significant that 24 hours after Italy's biggest sports dailies are claiming Darmian's Inter move has been locked down, we're hearing Fosu-Mensah is set to be rewarded with a new £25,000-a-week contract. This is no co-incidence. It's a message. Mourinho has seen enough. Darmian's time is up. Fosu-Mensah is the present - and future - of United.
Would this have happened at Chelsea? It's difficult to argue yes. Mourinho is notorious for holding onto players beyond the January transfer window. No matter how little they're used. He hates unsettling his squad. He had some great kids available to him at Stamford Bridge. But he never gave them their head. Certainly not in the way he's opened the door for those at United.
Even Anthony Martial, despite concerns over all his off-field drama, left to join the France squad with Mourinho's praise ringing in his ears. A first goal of the season against Stoke City was no inconvenience for the manager. He wants Martial in-form. Enjoying his football again: “He needs that. It was an amazing goal. So it was good for him."
This isn't the words of a manager who finds youth players a hindrance. Of someone hoping for any old excuse to freeze out a youngster for an established, experienced alternative.
Mourinho has bought into the culture of Manchester United. He is doing everything we were told he was incapable of doing. Ryan Giggs. Paul Scholes. Sir Bobby. Sir Alex. They've all expressed their concerns - either directly or thinly veiled - in public.
We may be only two months in. But isn't it time this lot acknowledged that Mourinho is maintaining United's commitment to youth?
INJURY TIME
It's a not a problem for today. But it has to be on the minds of academy staff: Can Angel Gomes make it at Manchester United?
He's only just turned 16, but so long as he avoids injury and keeps his feet on the ground, Gomes is nailed on to be a Champions League player. But will he be able to achieve it wearing a United shirt?
Gomes is a No10. An outstanding No10. Perhaps the best they've seen at Carrington since Paul Scholes. Ravel Morrison was exciting, but a different type. Think Xavi or Andres Iniesta. He's two years younger than the rest of his U18 teammates, yet he's their outstanding player. The one everything goes through.
But that's just it. It really is difficult to see him succeeding elsewhere. Not on a flank. Not in attack. He's a pure No10. And as he matures, the question for United staff will be, do they shape their transfer policy to accommodate such a talent?
Do they keep the No10 role clear? Do they go with an older, experienced player, knowing Gomes will be coming through? Do they risk stalling his development by splashing out on the next big thing, no matter the age?
It's a good dilemma to have. But it is a dilemma. The sort of predicament that confronted Sir Alex Ferguson when introducing the Class of 92 all those years a go.
A generation that included the current academy director, Nicky Butt, who only recently said: "I look at the kids and they're miles better than I was at their age — technically. We've got some unbelievable players. Angel Gomes is a young talented player that we have massive hopes for."