Jose Mourinho has requested that several Manchester United players bring a premature end to their summer holidays.
Mourinho is clearly unhappy with the way that United’s preseason preparations are playing out and he wants some of his first-team regulars to return to Carrington ahead of schedule.
The Times reports that the United manager is hopeful that Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini will wrap up their summer breaks early in order to help out their teammates.
United’s England internationals who were involved in the World Cup have also been called upon as Mourinho feels like his team is nowhere near ready for the start of the Premier League season.
With nine players injured, Mourinho is keen to have the eight players who were granted extended breaks due to their exertions in Russia return to training a week before they were supposed to.
Marcus Rashford and Phil Jones took it upon themselves to report for training early and Mourinho wants to see similar eagerness from others.
“I hope somebody wants to do what Rashford and Jones decided to do,” Mourinho said. “Which is to be back a little bit earlier to try to help the team because, for the beginning of the season, we are going to be in trouble.”
A 4-1 defeat to Liverpool at the weekend prompted plenty of complaints from the temperamental United boss, who is not only disappointed with his side’s performances this month but also reportedly at odds with the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward over the lack of summer signings.
The Daily Mail claims that Mourinho and Woodward are embroiled in a transfer war, with the latter refusing to make more funds available until players are sold.
With tensions seemingly high at Old Trafford, Mourinho is currently the favourite in next season’s managerial sack race.
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek told JOE: “Mourinho has not covered himself in glory with Manchester United’s tour of the USA, with the 55-year-old claiming that it’s ‘not his squad.’
“The negativity is just one of an array of factors that Manchester United fans are not happy with – and that despondency has crept into punters thoughts ahead of the 18/19 season.
“In total, 82 per cent of all bets in the last 24 hours have been placed on Mourinho leaving before any other gaffer, making Jose the clear and standout favourite to be the first on the manager merry-go-round.”
