TOUR FROM HELL
Public dig at club as Jose sees weak mentality in stars Suddenly he’s favourite for the sack race
THE storm clouds gathering over Manchester United’s training session at a university campus in Miami Shores yesterday formed a fitting backdrop to this most miserable of tours.
As it limped on into a third week, beset by problems and the dark mutterings of Jose Mourinho, the feeling is that the United manager and his depleted squad cannot come home soon enough.
United play their fifth and final game against Real Madrid in the Hard Rock Stadium here and Mourinho’s heavy metal approach to airing his grievances has drowned out everything else.
Seasoned observers of the sullen Portuguese coach will recognise the warning signs. Mourinho has never lasted much more than three years at any club in his career. His pre-meditated criticism of United’s tour and Ed Woodward immediately saw him installed as favourite in the Premier League sack race as he enters his third season in charge at Old Trafford.
Mourinho wants two new signings but appears to be at loggerheads with Woodward, and United’s executive vice-chairman will not have appreciated a public dig from his manager over the lack of progress. Woodward is understood to be holding talks with several clubs over signing a new centre back in case he cannot persuade Leicester to part with his No 1 target Harry Maguire with nine days to go until the transfer window closes.
Toby Alderweireld is one option but Tottenham have heard nothing from United since an initial approach for the Belgian in May.
Mourinho would like to sell Anthony Martial (below) so he can bring in another forward, but Woodward and the Old Trafford hierarchy are known to value the young Frenchman highly.
It was no surprise that Mourinho’s demand on United’s own TV station for Martial to return to camp following the birth of his baby son in Paris caused concern among club officials due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
‘He has the baby and after the baby is born — beautiful baby, full of health, thank God — he should be here and he is not here,’ said Mourinho.
Mourinho has a long- standing issue with what he perceives to be a weak mentality among some of his players. That was in his mind when he challenged some of them to return early from their summer breaks and praised the efforts of others on tour.
‘The accumulation of matches is killing progressively my brave boys, because I have some brave boys,’ he said, again pointedly.
Many of them are said to be walking on eggshells around their moody boss who also called out his injured captain Antonio Valencia for returning from holiday overweight.
Yesterday, Mourinho appeared in surprisingly good spirits despite the rain teeming down as he watched his players training at Barry University.
At times, he wandered off on his own, deep in thought, but then returned to mix with his coaching staff and share a joke.
His comments that it wasn’t worth fans paying to watch the tour games will have dismayed his employers, not least because he prefers to visit the US and will have signed off the itinerary for this trip. He received some support from an unlikely source yesterday when organisers Relevent Sports accepted his criticism and said changes may be made to the International Champions Cup format next year.
‘ I understand his point,’ said the company’s executive chairman, Charlie Stillitano. ‘He even wants his players who have personal commitments to be here.
‘I read into that that he wants the best for the fans and the best for us and, of course, the best for him. He wants his full team.
‘There are challenges in a World Cup year. It gets later and later and the season seems to get earlier and earlier. It’s really a challenge for everyone. I think he was just voicing that frustration.
‘We are looking at changing the format next year. But it’s not a World Cup year, so I don’t think we will have anything near the same problem.’
Whether Mourinho will still be manager of Manchester United then is another matter.