Jose Mourinho to put Manchester United stars through brutal pre-season schedule

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Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho will waste little time in stamping his mark at Carrington with a gruelling training schedule in place.

The Portuguese tactician was confirmed as the new United manager last month, but officially started work this week and welcomed back several stars for pre-season training.

While some remain on holiday or on international duty, Mourinho has had an opportunity to see some of the individuals at his disposal next season up close, and according to The Sun, he has testing plans ahead for them.

The former Chelsea boss has five double training sessions planned next week, as he wants his players to be in excellent condition for their pre-season tour of China in two weeks time.

Former United manager Louis van Gaal received criticism for holding double sessions last year, but as noted in the report, the atmosphere and approach from the players is different this time round as they are understood to be fully aware of the necessity of a solid pre-season.

Mourinho’s demands will be with a view of ensuring that his players are ready for what could be a gruelling season next year, although he’ll want to balance that with not pushing them too hard and in turn risk seeing them burn out at the back end of the campaign.

Given his experience at the top level, it’s highly unlikely that the 53-year-old will make such a mistake, and his approach will certainly test the resolve and desire of the players.

After United missed out on the top four last year, Mourinho’s minimum objective will be to get the Red Devils back into the Champions League. However, he’ll harbour bigger ambitions than that, and with the benefit of having a more relaxed schedule compared to many of his rivals, he’ll look to take full advantage.

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