Jose Mourinho and some of his Manchester United players have jetted off to LA this week for the start of the preseason tour. I have been keeping a close eye on proceedings to keep you all updated.
The squad included a number of young faces; the youngest member of the travelling party was Mason Greenwood at 16. As well as this under-18 favourites Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong also flew.
Manchester United Preseason Tour 2018 squad
Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero, Joel Pereira, Lee Grant. Defenders: Antonio Valencia, Diogo Dalgot, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe, Ro-Shaun Williams, Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Demetri Mitchell. Midfielders: Ander Herrera, Scott McTominay, Juan Mata, Ethan Hamilton, James Garner, Andreas Pereira. Forwards: Anthony Martial, Angel Gomes, Tahith Chong, Joshua Bohui, Mason Greenwood.
Alexis Sanchez was due to fly with the original party, however, he is currently still at Carrington due to visa problems. Sanchez will meet up with the squad when the situation clears, though.
Manchester United’s 12 World Cup stars will not be part of the tour as Jose Mourinho has claimed they need a rest. He also suggested they may miss United’s opening fixture against Leicester City.
"“I think three weeks is the minimum they need, which means that they’re going to be back in the week when the Premier League starts, which means they’re not ready to start the Premier League. To bring them back before that would be, ‘Okay, I have you for the first match of the season, but maybe I don’t have you in three or four months.'” (M.E.N.)"
Manchester United’s Preseason Tour 2018 fixtures
Before Mourinho’s men take part in the friendly Champions Cup they have two friendly friendlies! United take on Club América, a Mexican football club, at the University of Pheonix Stadium in Arizona. That match kicks off on Thursday at 9 PM local time.
Next, United travel 750 miles west to California where they will play San Jose Earthquakes at the Levi’s Stadium. That game kicks off at 2 PM local time on Sunday.
Once the two friendlies are out of the way Mourinho’s Manchester United side will compete against the World’s biggest clubs. AC Milan, Real Madrid and Bayer Munich all play United as do fierce rivals, Liverpool.