Mourinho picks rookies for tour
JOSE Mourinho has included seven rookies in his United pre-season tour squad.
As revealed by M.E.N. Sport last week, 16-year-old Mason Greenwood and midfielder James Garner, 17, have been included in the five-game tour of the United States.
Dutch winger Tahith Chong, 18, and RoShaun Williams, Ethan Hamilton and Joshua Bohui, all 19, were also on the flight from Manchester to Los Angeles last night, as well as 17-year-old Angel Gomes, who has made two substitute appearances for United.
The prolific Greenwood scored 17 goals in 17 starts for the Under-18s last year. Garner’s father, Dave, confirmed his son’s inclusion on Twitter earlier this month and Mourinho’s decision to reward some of the most talented youngsters in their age group will doubtless delight supporters.
Their selection could also be partly influenced by new first-team coach Kieran McKenna, who nurtured Garner, Greenwood, Gomes and Chong during his 18-month stint as Under-18 coach. McKenna and Michael Carrick oversaw training with Mourinho last week.
Mourinho’s decision to promote strikers Greenwood and Bohui is mainly enforced by Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford’s World Cup commitments.
Chong recovered from a knee injury to claim the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award last season while Gomes became the fourth youngest United player aged 16 years and 263 days when he played against Crystal Palace 14 months ago.
Whalley Range lad Williams was named on the first-team bench by Louis van Gaal for cup ties against West Ham and Liverpool in March 2016. Scotland youth international Hamilton, whose contract extension was confirmed on Wednesday, was among the substitutes for the FA Cup fifth round tie at Huddersfield in February.