Sir Alex Ferguson: Manchester United making progress under Jose Mourinho

Manchester United are making progress under Jose Mourinho and are "unlucky" not to be challenging Chelsea, says their former boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson, 75, stepped down in 2013 but retains close ties to Old Trafford and attends most games.

"I think he has done a great job," said the Scot in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport.

Ferguson also explained why he thinks Wayne Rooney's United goalscoring record will never be broken.

'Without those draws, they'd be challenging Chelsea'

Jose Mourinho became Manchester United's third manager since Ferguson retired when he replaced Louis van Gaal in May.

Although he won his opening three games in charge, Mourinho's team collected just six points from their next seven Premier League matches.

There was a period earlier in the season when he wasn't getting the decisions and his emotions boiled over. You see him now - he is calm and in control

Ferguson on Mourinho

They have been sixth after every round of matches since the end of October and stayed in that position after the 1-1 draw at Stoke on 21 January, when Rooney scored an injury-time equaliser to become United's record goalscorer, with 250.

Nevertheless, Ferguson can see signs of progress under the Portuguese.

"You can see he has got to grips with the club," he said.

"The team is playing really well and he has been very unlucky. He has had six 1-1 draws and in every game he has battered the opposition.

"If they hadn't had all these draws, they would be there challenging Chelsea. That is the unfortunate part but he is going to have to live with that."

'The team is mirroring its manager'

Mourinho has been sent to the stands twice this season, against Burnley and West Ham, as his side struggled to overcome supposedly inferior opposition at Old Trafford.

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager seems far more relaxed now though.

United go to Hull on Thursday for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final unbeaten in 17 games. That run encompassed nine successive wins, including a 2-0 triumph in the first leg at Old Trafford, their longest-winning sequence since Ferguson called time on his illustrious career.

Ferguson said: "I was a little bit different from Jose in the respect that I wanted to build the football club and wanted young players to be part of that.

"Nonetheless, the first team weren't doing great and you have to find solutions to correct that. I think Jose is finding solutions now. There was a period earlier in the season when he wasn't getting the decisions and his emotions boiled over. You see him now - he is calm and in control.

"That is the obvious observation I am making of the team now. The team is mirroring its manager.

"On Saturday at Stoke, they played to the last kick of the ball. They never gave in and got their rewards to take something from the game with that great Rooney goal.

"And did you see what he did? Ran to the halfway line. No celebration. Pointed to the ball as if to say 'get it, we are going to win this'. That is exactly the spirit Jose has created."

Goal record 'a very big target to hit'

Sir Bobby Charlton's club record of 249 Manchester United goals had stood for 44 years until Rooney went past it at the Britannia Stadium.Charlton amassed his tally in 758 appearances for the club. Rooney, 31, has gone one better in 546 games since moving from Everton for £27m as an 18-year-old in 2014.

With the chance to score even more this season and a contract that runs to 2018 if the Liverpool-born player remains at Old Trafford until its conclusion, Rooney has set a record that is unlikely ever to be beaten, according to Ferguson.

"In the present-day game, it is difficult to see any club having players who can stay with them for 10 years.

"Jose has mentioned Marcus Rashford and there is an opportunity for that young lad, if he stays at United, and develops his potential the way that Wayne has. But it is a very big target to hit.

"Bobby Charlton's record was quite substantial. I couldn't think anybody would beat that. It is an achievement par excellence."

Analysis

BBC Sport's Simon StoneWhen Carli Lloyd scored from the halfway line to complete a hat-trick in the first 16 minutes of the 2015 Women's World Cup final, her United States team-mate Hope Solo ran from her goal to scream: "Are you even human?"

Having already scored winning goals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic finals, Lloyd was already one of the most celebrated players in the United States.

But earning America's first World Cup in 16 years and scoring such a spectacular goal pitched the midfielder's status to almost superhero level, with 2015 and 2016 Fifa World Player of the Year awards following.

After spending years training on her own in a sparse field in Delran, New Jersey, and showing a single-mindedness which led to a relationship breakdown with her parents, Lloyd had finally proven her doubters wrong to reach the pinnacle of her sport.

Now a new journey begins for the 34-year-old US captain after leaving Houston Dash for a short-term deal with Manchester City, which former England striker Kelly Smith, a former club team-mate of Lloyd's, calls a "coup".

City will now hope Lloyd's undoubted stardust and renowned dedication rub off on a team who are gunning for the Champions League title in their competition debut

Who is Lloyd?

For those unfamiliar with Lloyd's story, her 55-yard lob in the World Cup final victory against Japan was no fluke.

It was the product of a feverish commitment to training - which included smashing shots from the halfway line - with her coach and mentor James Galanis. He has been credited with moulding a young player with serious confidence problems and a body not built for an elite midfielder into the world's best player.

As detailed in her autobiography, When Nobody Was Watching, it is clear nothing gets in the way of Lloyd's ambition to continually improve. And the good news for Manchester City fans is that, even after her World Cup triumph, she believes she can get even better.

"Her determination exceeds anyone I've ever met," Smith, who played with Lloyd for the New Jersey Wildcats in 2004 and spent the majority of her playing career in the US, told BBC Sport.

Carli Lloyd facts

Born: 16 July, 1982, Delran, New Jersey

Clubs: New Jersey Wildcats, Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC, Atlanta Beat, Western New York Flash, Houston Dash

Country: US debut in 2005; 232 appearances and 96 goals

Honours: 2008 & 2012 Olympic gold medallist, 2015 World Cup winner, 2015 and 2016 Fifa World Player of the Year

Fuelling that drive is a quest for perfection and a desire to prove people wrong. It began when she was dropped from the Under-21 national team and was ready to quit football altogether, toying with the idea of becoming an FBI agent.

But then she met Australian coach Galanis, a trainee electrician, who offered a turning point in her career and proved a lifelong mentor. In 2004 he concocted a 12-year plan, which included Lloyd becoming World Player of the Year by 2016.

While her relationship with Galanis has been the backbone of her success, some of her family have blended into the background.

Her golfer husband, Brian Hollins, whom she met in her teens, has learned to stay away from big tournaments to prevent any distractions. And Lloyd's long-running feud with her parents dates back to the beginning of her career when she chose to do things her own way.

They disapproved of her aloofness around US team-mates and a choice of agent, and weeks before her triumph at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, asked her to move her possessions out of their home.

Lloyd hints in her book they may have been jealous of the part Galanis has played in her career and despite calling the situation "heartbreaking", has not spoken to them since 2012.

Lloyd says she "doesn't do fake" and has had disagreements with former US coaches but current manager Jill Ellis, who has had a long-standing connection with her captain since she managed the under-21 team, has said Lloyd is "team-orientated" and "real".

Washington Spirit midfielder Joanna Lohman, who has known Lloyd since they were 14 and played in the same US youth team, told BBC Sport: "It's great to have that edge, look where it's taken her.

"When you don't back down on things and you see things as challenges as opposed to failures, it pushes you even harder."

Lloyd won Fifa World Player of the year in 2015 after her World Cup triumph. She will play for Manchester City from April until 3 June

How good is Lloyd?

As a big Liverpool fan, Lloyd has always looked up to former Red Steven Gerrard as the player she wanted to emulate: a box-to-box midfielder with an eye for goal and a fearsome shot.

Smith likens her more to former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard for her "goalscoring ability, and how she arrives late in the box" but says it has taken time to develop those skills.

"She wasn't the most technical back when we played, she isn't like Brazilian forward Marta, who beats two or three players at a time," Smith adds. "But she was always very fit, had a fantastic work-rate and was a winner."

That much has been proven in her international career, with three major titles and 96 goals in 232 appearances, making her the national team's all-time highest goal-scoring midfielder. Current US boss Ellis calls Lloyd "incredible for her consistency in big games".

Club success for Lloyd has been less impressive. She is yet to win a US domestic championship - the closest she came was a runners-up medal with Western New York Flash in 2013, so winning the Champions League or FA Cup with Manchester City would be a glittering addition to her CV.

Can she help City achieve that success in the twilight of her career? Lloyd has already proven that age has little effect on her work-rate.

"Carli's a leader on and off the pitch and her winning mentality will help them reach the next level," Smith says.

Former England captain Casey Stoney says Lloyd will have a massive influence on City and the league.

"She's not past her peak," the Liverpool defender said. "Look at [Manchester United forward] Zlatan Ibrahimovic - he's playing some of the best football of his career and he's 35.

"Experience buys you time on the ball and better decision-making. It wouldn't surprise me if she was playing in the next World Cup in two years' time."

Lloyd is joining a Manchester City side who won the FA WSL in their third season. The league is shifting from a summer schedule to a winter one, culminating in a one-off Spring Series starting in April

Why has Lloyd come to England?

If Manchester City were looking for a marquee signing to demonstrate their growing status in women's football, then Lloyd is a stunning addition to their squad.

Lloyd is one of several US players who have recently left their country to ply their trade in Europe.

The best paid player in women's football, Alex Morgan, joined French side Lyon, lightning-fast winger Crystal Dunn signed for Chelsea and midfielder Heather O'Reilly, who recently retired from international football, joined Arsenal.

But according to Stoney, Lloyd will be "the biggest overseas player to have played in England, without a doubt". It is likely she will have a salary to match.

City, who only played their first season in the FA Women's Super League in 2014, won the title last season, and with the club's wealthy owners investing more in players and facilities than any other English side, a period of dominance looks likely.

Part of that masterplan is to make inroads in Europe in their debut Champions League season, which continues with a quarter-final tie against Danish side Fortuna Hjorring on 23 March.

But as much as Lloyd can benefit City, they can also provide a new chapter for the attacking midfielder.

US boss Ellis, who was born in England, has encouraged American players to experience European football in a year when there are no major tournaments. It comes at a time when US players are in a pay dispute with the national federation, but Smith believes it has more to do with the quality of the football on offer in Europe.

"The game in America can often be quite back to front and long ball, but players are more technical in Europe and nowhere more than in the Champions League so players want to sample that," she says.

"Lloyd will also experience the best facilities around. Sometimes in the American league you use university pitches and changing rooms, so to be part of a club like Manchester City can be quite precious to Carli."

It is nearly four years now since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager of Manchester United, yet the ease with which he skipped from room to room to conduct interviews at a Cheshire hotel on Tuesday suggests that, at 75, he remains as enthusiastic for life as ever.

There is no longer the same hint of menace about him if the questions are not to his satisfaction, although I suspect if I had strayed off topic, I might have got a mild blast of the famous hair dryer.

But Ferguson remains engaging company. Far different to the combustible figure who dominated the touchline and harangued anyone who got in his - and United's - way.

These days a funny story usually close at hand. Today, it concerned the mother of Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, who, Ferguson recalled, pleaded with him over the phone not to take away "my boy" as negotiations over Rooney's £27m move from Everton drew to a close in 1994.