Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho leads the way as stars arrive back home from Galatasaray win for final pre-season tests
Red Devils kick off Premier League campaign against Bournemouth but must first take on Everton and Leicester
MANCHESTER UNITED are back in town after demolishing Galatasaray in Sweden – and Jose Mourinho now has his sights set on Everton and Leicester.
The Red Devils surged to a 5-2 win over the Turks on Saturday evening, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic needing just three minutes to net on his debut.
Jose Mourinho led the way as Man Utd flew home from Sweden
But the Special One and his squad didn’t hang about as they boarded a flight straight back to Manchester after the win, touching down just after midnight on Sunday morning.
The likes of Juan Mata, Eric Bailly and Luke Shaw seemed to have bags of energy in reserve despite the timely journey, and Mourinho’s men will continue their preparation for the fast-paced Premier League season ahead of Wayne Rooney’s testimonial against Everton on Wednesday.
The Toffees are also under new management after snagging Ronald Koeman from Southampton, and United know the clash will give them a taste of what’s to come in a fortnight’s time against Bournemouth.
But Mourinho will first have to guide his stars past Leicester next Sunday in the Community Shield final, and it seems likely the Portuguese tactician will be making full use of his squad as big names including Bastian Schweinsteiger and Adnan Januzaj prepare to leave Old Trafford on permanent deals.
Related Stories
Mourinho said: “If they were not in my plans I would not give them one single minute, I would not keep them in my squad.
“The squad is very competitive, the squad is very important for the season.
“We have 38 matches in the Premier League, we have the possibility of 15 matches in the Europa League, plus domestic cups, we are going to play 60 matches.
“So to be in the squad you have to understand that the squad is more important than the individual.
“The club is more important than all of us, and to be in the squad you have to be ready for this, to play, not to play, play a lot, play less, play 90 minutes, play one minute, not be selected.
“Everything is part of a squad life – and if you want to be in a club like we are, the club is much more important than us.”