Mourinho's new look has Old Trafford buzzing

Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 17 matches across all competitions, so why has manager Jose Mourinho made a major change at Old Trafford?

No, the boss has not dropped Zlatan Ibrahimovic or stripped Wayne Rooney of the captaincy.

Rather, the Portuguese arrived at his news conference to preview the EFL Cup semi-final second leg away to Hull City on Thursday sporting a drastic new haircut.

It is not the first time the 53-year-old has dispensed with his silver locks and he remains confident a full head of hair will return soon, although it could now take him some time to catch up with the distinctive curls of Marouane Fellaini. 

"The haircut is a privilege because I am the kind of guy who can do it and in one month it is a new wig," he said.

Pointing to the follicly-challenged journalists in the room, he added: "It is just a privilege. Some of you, you cannot do it!"

With predecessors David Moyes and Louis van Gaal both swiftly axed by the United hierarchy in recent years, and the team outside the Champions League qualification, it remains to be seen if Mourinho can avoid a chop of a different sort in the seasons to come.