Jose Mourinho and Wayne Rooney share tender moment during Manchester United training session in Shanghai
Juan Mata looks glum after being told he will not be a first-team regular at Old Trafford next season
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JOSE MOURINHO and captain Wayne Rooney shared a tender moment during Manchester United training in Shanghai on Wednesday morning.
That was despite the Portuguese clearly proving that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be top dog at Old Trafford next season by giving the Swedish striker an extra week of rest after Euro 2016.
Mourinho and Rooney shared a cuddle at Century Park as the players prepared for the first match of their Far East tour against Borussia Dortmund on 22 July.
However, it wasn't all smiles as Juan Mata had a glum look on his face during the morning session.
The Spaniard, sold by Mourinho to United in January 2014, was told by Mourinho that he will only play around one in every three games.
New signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan and teenage sensation Marcus Rashford could also be seen enjoying the session, with hundreds of fans watching on.
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Rooney, speaking earlier at a cringeworthy PR stunt, hailed Mourinho during training.
He said: "I’ve only had one day [training with Mourinho] since we came out, but it was a very good day, the training session
"But I think you only have to look at the teams he’s had before and the success he’s had with them, and we’re hoping he can bring that to us.
"I’m excited. It’s a big season for us. The appointment of Jose Mourinho is a big appointment and we’re all excited.
"We’ve made some fantastic signings too. Hopefully we can have a good start to the season and be successful by the end of it."
Mourinho was also smiling during the training session despite the news that the £100million opening bid for Paul Pogba has been rejected by Juventus.
Ed Woodward is at home in Manchester negotiating that deal, with Mourinho earlier indicating that signing four players would be the end of his transfer activity, unless fringe players are sold.
Betting has been suspended on the Pogba move, although it is not clear how much he could end up costing the club.