Martial still able to have a laugh despite pressure UNITED Tour Diary
MIXED ZONE FUN AND GAMES It was unbeknown to Chris Smalling that, as he spoke to English journalists in the Levi’s Stadium mixed zone, Anthony Martial was pulling faces behind his back. The United forward needed some postmatch levity after completing 90 minutes in one of the dullest United friendlies in recent memory. It was during this tomfoolery that Martial’s manager was simultaneously rebuking the Frenchman and his agent for demanding a transfer last month. Smalling is usually a safe bet to step in the mixed zone.
FRIENDLY MOURINHO A few of us had the pleasure of attending United’s Beverly Hills hotel to conduct an interview with one of the players and on our way in Mourinho was passing in the opposite direction. He held out his hand and pressed the flesh, even offering a cursory pat for one hack. Gestures like that, as insignificant as they seem, are appreciated and show up opposition managers who blank familiar faces while overseas, which happens regularly with another team’s coach.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS On his first European trip with United to Eindhoven, Martial needed WiFi assistance and that first world problem arose for Andreas Pereira after a meet-and-greet at the United hotel, where he was informed of the broadband rate for the remainder of his stay in Los Angeles. He was not amused.
FRED THE RED FROZEN OUT There is the odd surreal sight following United around the globe and an agitated Fred the Red yanking at a locked doorknob was another. The United mascot was almost about to interrupt a player’s interview before a member of the United staff intervened and kept the door closed.
LOST IN TRANSLATION A couple of us took an Uber to the LA Galaxy’s StubHub Center for the AC Milan press conference with the intention of getting a line on Leonardo Bonucci, the Italy centre half who has interested City and United in recent years. Milan manager Rino Gattuso’s wife is Scottish and, as he attested with his ‘Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe **** ’ press conference outburst, he has got a fine grasp of the lingo he learnt at Rangers over 20 years ago. Gattuso answered the Bonucci question in Italian. Fair enough, the majority of the media there were from Italy and all but two questions were asked in the language. Gattuso’s response lasted 71 seconds, so the copy sounded promising. Only the translator took 37 seconds to convert the reply into broken English. As we left the stadium, we passed the Milan squad, Bonucci included. If either of us spoke Italian we might as well have asked him ourselves.