ENGLAND SHOWED IN THE WORLD CUP HOW IMPORTANT WELL-WORKED SET PIECES CAN BE

JOSE Mourinho admits he would not have paid to watch his weakened Manchester United side on their pre-season tour of the United States.

United’s troubled International Champions Cup campaign suffered another blow with a 4-1 defeat to Premier League rivals Liverpool in Michigan on Saturday night.

“The atmosphere is good but if I was them I wouldn’t come,” United boss Mourinho said.

He added at his press conference: “I wouldn’t spend my money to see these teams. I was watching on television Chelsea against Inter and the people in Nice decided the beach was better.

“They didn’t go to the game, the stadium was empty.

“I think the passion many Americans have for soccer deserves more. They deserve the best teams and invest to bring the best clubs to the US.

“But we, and some other clubs, were not able to give to the people the real quality football that can attract even more passion in this country.”

Mourinho complaining about his squad being decimated by so many of his players being on post-World Cup holidays has been a constant theme of United’s unhappy trip.

The likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Marouane Fellaini, as well as the England quartet of Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford, are still absent. Antonio Valencia and Chris Smalling also missed the Liverpool defeat through injury. THERE’S one area where Huddersfield Town can profit from England’s World Cup experience – and it could be telling in their bid to become an established Premier League club.

Set pieces were crucial to England’s rousing run to the semifinals of the 2018 tournament in Russia, and Town have already benefited from a training-ground routine in their pre-season work.

That was when Terence Kongolo scored the equaliser in the 3-1 win over Olympique Lyon at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Sixty seven minutes were on the clock when Alex Pritchard curled in a right-footed corner from Town’s left.

Town had five players in a group on the edge of the penalty area and just Rajiv van La Parra stationed in front of the goalkeeper – to block him off getting a clear run towards the ball.

Lyon had nine defenders around the six-yard box (plus one other covering the short-corner option), but none of them could do anything to prevent the excellent Phil Billing towering above an opponent to head on for Kongolo to score his first goal in blue and white stripes.

Set pieces of all kinds are going to be important for Town – and coach Andrew Hughes, in charge if set plays, is not short of ideas.

England, of course, were spectacularly successful from set plays in Russia.

Nine of their 12 goals in the tournament came that way, including three penalties from Harry Kane.

The three goals they scored from open play were by Jesse Lingard against Panama, Dele Alli against Sweden and Kane against Panama once again (though his touch was lucky).

And 70% of England’s corners resulted in a shot on goal, either directly or through a flick-on, or from a spot kick.

The Three Lions headed into the World Cup sporting a miserable track record with set pieces, having failed to score from a corner at a major international tournament since the 2010 finals in South Africa – where Matthew Upson