MANCHESTER UNITED executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has given the green light to a pre-season plan that will likely leave Jose Mourinho fuming.
Mourinho is aware of the importance of filling the club’s worldwide commitments with sponsors – not that he is a fan of it.
He has got his wish for the last two years when Manchester United flew into America for pre-season before coming back home to Manchester.
But the plan for 2019 is far more extravagant – and exactly what Mourinho would appear not to want.
United will visit Australia next summer, according to ESPN, with games in Perth pencilled in for July.
Early suggestions are that Leeds United are being lined up for a match while they will face A-League side Perth Glory at Optus Stadium, according to local media.
As if the 9,500-mile trip from Manchester to Australia isn’t enough, Mourinho’s side are also likely to stop in Japan and Hong Kong.
Woodward – the money man at Old Trafford – will have been key to the plans having numerous multi-million pound deals in place with foreign investors. An announcement is expected later this week.
It’s not the first time United have travelled Down Under. They last visited in 2013 before David Moyes’ ill-fated 10 months in charge.
During that time they also visited Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong – but it was one of the worst pre-seasons ever.
They fell to a defeat to a Thai All-Star XI before losing to 3-2 to Yokohama Marinos. During that time Moyes had an ongoing battle with Wayne Rooney – on whether he would stay at the club – before United were outplayed in Rio Ferdinand’s testimonial by Sevilla.
United took a staggering entourage of 120 staff on tour that year – including former players turned “ambassadors” such as Sir Bobby Charlton, Bryan Robson and Denis Irwin – to cope with the demands of the sponsors and supporters.
The plan left the fans happy, the commercial partners happy, and the money men happy – but it’s far from ideal for the players. Sir Alex Ferguson, privately, was no fan of these tours but was forced to accept the commercial value outweighed the football benefits.
Now Mourinho – if he is still in charge – is going to have to do the same.
Source:www.express.co.uk