Promising Points: Jose's Celta Celebration

This week, we're looking back at some of the moments from last season which are making ManUtd.com journalists look forward to the new season with optimism...

Walking towards the tunnel, his right fist already clenched in celebration after seeing his Manchester United team beat Celta Vigo to reach the Europa League final, Jose Mourinho spotted a scarf that had been tossed onto the turf in front of him by a supporter in the Stretford End.

The colours matched those of his motherland but that was just a coincidence - the design actually commemorated the genius of George Best, a man who wore red for his club and green for his country.

The manager paused to pick up the scarf with his left hand, passed it to his right and then twirled it in vigorous triumph as he continued on his way to meet reporters, congratulate players and ultimately unwind with family and friends after an almost unbearably tense finish to the semi-final. All of those people would have a piece of the Portuguese's precious post-match time but this moment, thankfully filmed on a smartphone, was for the fans. With the fans. Of the fans.

The 10-second clip captured by Katie Flynn, a season-ticket holder, was retweeted many more times than her Twitter followers alone could muster, as media organisations shared the material that was missed by the main broadcaster's cameras.

Mourinho's display of emotion was a must-see for supporters beyond those who witnessed it in the flesh and reactions on social media included these:

@AyrtonHS1996: Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
@richardozzy0: Now that's what I like to see!
@mr_humz: Watched this about 20 times.
@RedVickster: So good to see his passion.
@davedarkone87: Absolutely! He loves this job.
@irishbadboy: That was my scarf!
@Roug3_D3mon99: Great capture. Passion & heart are things you can't accuse Jose of lacking.
@07seanvernon: That's what's it all about.
@TheLegend2seven: Love the enthusiasm. On to the final!
@ROHIT_GGMU: Love the passion of this man! Great things to come in the coming years!
@mohitgadam1: He's doing everything he can to make sure we can win. We have to get behind him and the team.

The urge in that last tweet, to back the men on the pitch, had been made by Mourinho in his programme notes before this and other home matches during his maiden campaign at United. "Let's get behind the players and make it a night to remember," wrote the manager ahead of the Celta Vigo game.

Little did we know that Jose himself would give us a memory to take away from the evening. The way he swung that scarf, punched the air and roared ecstatically to the crowd on Katie's clip came to mind as ManUtd.com staff selected aspects of last season which bode well for the next campaign.

"I think that was fantastic," Paddy Crerand told us this week, after his Monday night show on MUTV.

"When you talk to football fans, they want to see a reaction from the manager and his staff, and the players. It makes them realise that the manager, at that moment in time, could have been standing in that crowd alongside them, jumping up and down.

"He could have been one of them," the club legend added. "The fans love that sort of thing, to know that the manager is as happy as they are."

The 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo was the penultimate match to be played at Old Trafford in 2016/17 and the final home fixture was also won, against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Could those frustrating home draws which had earlier rendered a title bid improbable already be a thing of the past?

We hope so, and we can hope so with some confidence after witnessing the unity of manager, supporters and players at the business end of the season, encapsulated by those celebrations after the Celta Vigo game. Scenes.

The views expressed in this article are personal to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.

Credit: Manutd.com