José Mourinho is planning to take his injured Manchester United players on the club’s pre-season tour to the USA in a bid to improve squad chemistry, according to the Daily Mirror.
The Portuguese boss wants to unite his players to aid their Premier League title push for the coming campaign. He wants all members of his squad to spend time together over the summer tour so that they can bond and better integrate any prospective new signings.
Squad unity key for Mourinho’s title push
English pair Luke Shaw and Ashley Young are two of the players Mourinho has demanded join the pre-season travelling party, despite their ongoing recovery from their respective injuries.
Plans are now being put in place for the duo to continue their rehabilitation in the USA instead of them recovering in the UK over the summer, where they had expected to be working on their return from injury.
Shaw and Young were forced off the Old Trafford field in games against Swansea City and Celta Vigo respectively in the final weeks of the season. The former had not been expected to return until August, with no timeline set for his compatriot.
Both Shaw and Young had been the subject of speculation linking them with a move away from the club this summer, so their potential presence on the summer tour – as requested by Mourinho – does at least bode well for their chances at United next term.
Others to join Shaw and Young?
However, it will be interesting to see whether any other of the club’s injured players join the England international pair on the summer tour; particularly Zlatan Ibrahimović and Marcos Rojo.
Ibrahimovic was not included on United’s retained list at the start of the month but is being allowed to complete his recovery at the club’s Carrington training base. His presence on the summer tour could indicate whether Mourinho intends to offer him a contract when he does eventually make his comeback. It's unlikely he'll be in the USA.
Rojo’s future looks more concrete after the Argentine enjoyed a surprisingly good season under Mourinho last term. James Wilson is another injured United player but has been a peripheral figure in the last couple of seasons, and wasn’t in the pre-season squad last summer, either.
The Red Devils report back for training on 8 July before contesting their first match a week later against LA Galaxy on July 15. Mourinho’s men will also face Real Salt Lake, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona while in the USA.