Does Jose Mourinho still have ‘special’ magic? Real Madrid need Portuguese coach to act as ‘father figure’ when dealing with egos of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Co

Cole savoured the Mourinho experience after graduating out of the academy ranks at Stamford Bridge and is better placed than most to assess whether the right man for the job has been found in Madrid.

Asked if “special” qualities remain, Cole – who was speaking in association with LiveScore Bet– told GOAL: “I know he’s found it a little bit hard so far. But I think it’s always like that when you go to a new club. It’s not instant success, is it? Success is built over time. Jose knows that more than anybody.

“But he has been known to go in straight in one season, get the job done and get out. But I think with this team, there’s so many different types of egos he’s going to have to manage because that’s why they got him in.

“He’s like a father figure to most footballers. And he’s going to have to try and figure that out as soon as possible. It’s a massive club. Real Madrid are no mugs. He knows the job. He’s been there before.

“But I have faith in Jose Mourinho. I think he’s a top-class manager. But I think with this squad of players, he needs to try and find a way to try and bond them. Because I think it’s been a couple of years where they haven’t been successful. They’ve had a couple of managers as well where it’s not quite gone to plan. So they definitely need something like Jose Mourinho.

“But they need to buy into what he’s doing. It’s as simple as that. And only he can structure that the way he sees fit on the job. And I’ve got faith in him that he can bring the glory days back to Real Madrid. It’s funny saying that, isn’t it?!”