Mourinho says American pre-season tour is 'perfect'

Manchester United during a match between Manchester United and Manchester City in the 2017 International Champions Cup at NRG Stadium. Credit: PA

Jose Mourinho insists Manchester United's hectic-looking pre-season schedule will help rather than hinder, going as far to say as their American tour is "perfect".

Complaints about the Reds' fixtures list dominated the end of last season, with the Portuguese's side not only juggling domestic exertions but their run to Europa League glory.

It was therefore a little bit surprising to see how packed their 2017-18 preparations have been, with Sunday's penalty shootout win against Real Madrid their fourth friendly in nine days.

Matches against the LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake and Manchester City in Houston preceded the Santa Clara encounter, with United then heading to Washington to take on Barcelona in Wednesday's final match Stateside.

Friendlies in Norway and Ireland follow before the UEFA Super Cup in Macedonia on August 8, but Mourinho does not fear the schedule will negatively impact United.

Asked if the air miles being put into his players' legs were a concern, the United boss retorted:

United's American tour has certainly gone far smoother than last year's farcical trip to China.

Bureaucracy, disorganisation and bad luck meant their money-spinning International Champions Cup involvement ended shambolically, with the friendly against City in Beijing called off to the quagmire Bird's Nest surface.

Mourinho has long preferred pre-season taking place in the USA, in particular Los Angeles, and will be pushing to come back across the Atlantic next year.