Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly cancelled Christmas and ordered a 4.30pm training session, leaving his squad furious.
As noted by The Sun, the usual schedule for Premier League clubs is to have a Christmas morning session to prepare for their fixture on Boxing Day.
United take on Sunderland at home this year and would have been expecting the usual drill, but Mourinho has reportedly ditched tradition and has called in the squad for the evening session instead.
Further, it’s claimed that the move has also infuriated staff as training will take place at Old Trafford and so they will now have to go into work on Christmas Day rather than stay at home with their families.
“Everyone is seriously p***** off. They’ve never heard anything like it – not even under Fergie,” a source told the paper.
“Some staff will even have to stay later on to sort out the pitch and stadium for the next day’s home game. He’s effectively cancelled Christmas.”
Despite their crucial win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, United remain in sixth place in the Premier League table and are still six points adrift of the top four.
In turn, it’s no surprise as to why Mourinho is keen to continue to push his players hard over the Christmas period, and many supporters will back him over several highly-paid individuals who have failed to entirely deliver so far this season.
However, whether or not it’s a good move for morale within the squad is up for debate as Mourinho is seemingly set to frustrate and upset his own players and that can’t be a good thing.