Lack of stars means kids get a great pre-season
UNITED youngsters are getting the ‘pre-season of their lives’ with so many of the club’s World Cup stars on holiday, according to Juan Mata.
Jose Mourinho has repeatedly bemoaned the fact his initial 24-man touring party was without United’s World Cup contingent, with a dozen players all returning to pre-season training at different times.
Nemanja Matic, who was eliminated in the group stages in Russia, has since joined up with his team-mates in the US while Fred and David de Gea are due to fly out later this week.
But with a number of United players reaching the latter stages of the tournament, including World Cup winner Paul Pogba, Mourinho is having to plan without them for the visit of Leicester City on August 10.
That has seen academy talents like Demetri Mitchell, Tahith Chong and James Garner all start games on tour - which probably would not have happened in a non-World Cup year.
Regardless, Mata is not getting too downbeat.
“We all know that this is not the squad that is going to be the first-team squad when we start the Premier League in the first game of the season,” he told ESPN. “But it is what it is. And I like to see it in a positive way, which is so many youngsters are with us.
“It speaks very well about how the Manchester United academy is working and it’s an incredible experience for them.
“So for us, the senior players, it’s about getting some minutes and getting the rhythm of the game.
“And for the kids, it’s just the pre-season of their lives, I believe. Because, if I was 19, 20, 18 and I had the chance to play with first-team players of Manchester United, I will definitely try to take my chance.
“So, yeah, we are not still all here, but the ones that are here, we are trying to enjoy it as much as we can.” UNITED great Paul Scholes believes things would be different at the club if Pep Guardiola was manager.
Jose Mourinho’s side finished 19-points behind Manchester City as they walked away with the Premier League title last season.
United endured a trophyless season after they were dumped out of the Champions League by Sevilla, and then beaten in a tight FA Cup final against Chelsea.
The lack of silverware wasn’t the only gripe amongst critics with many pundits and supporters also disapproving of the club’s style of play under Mourinho.
And while Scholes acknowledges the United manager is driven by results, he believes the club would be heading in a different direction under Guardiola.
“(Mourinho) doesn’t look happy to me,” Scholes told beIN Sports.
“As a football person, if you’re a coach and you seem your team playing - he may be happy.
“It’s a team who grind out results rather than really impress you - and that’s probably what he is happy with, that’s where he has been at his best all over the years.
“If Guardiola was manager of Manchester United he would hate what he was seeing - and it would be different. But, the most important thing to (Mourinho) is results, he will be judged on that. Last year was a disappointing year, not to win. You don’t have any divine right to win a trophy I know that. But the performances in the league weren’t of the standard required, they got beaten by Sevilla in the Champions League - and they are a poor team.
“Every year when Manchester United doesn’t win something it is a disaster.”