Football
Arindam Rej, Man United Correspondent 8y

Jose Mourinho made Zlatan Ibrahimovic tour call after 'two hours'

Jose Mourinho has said that Manchester United's coaching staff spent two hours analysing Zlatan Ibrahimovic before deciding to leave him out of the club's preseason China tour.

United's 25-man touring party for China was announced on Tuesday, the day which they departed the UK, and the Sweden striker was the most high-profile absentee.

Sweden exited in the group stage of the European Championship while England progressed further -- but Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford and Chris Smalling have all travelled to China, although they will not play.

When asked about Ibrahimovic, in his news conference in Shanghai on Thursday, Mourinho replied: "The best suits are the suits by measure. That's better than going to a shop and buying a suit that might fit you or might not. The players are the same -- no two are the same.

"My decision with Zlatan is down to two hours of study of him, with my coaches, even though he came out of the Euros before others. The mind and body must adapt. At training level, we try to do suits by measure -- it's perfect for the person."

Mourinho's predecessor, Louis van Gaal, had worked to cut down the length of the China tour to eight days, after explaining that the heat of the country made it difficult for players. The United manager admitted that it would be tough but pointed out that they had gone there for the fans.

He said: "We are going to face difficult conditions during the season. Let's try to do our best. Why we are here, is because of the fans. We would have much better conditions in other parts of the globe. We came for the fans and we have to make the best possible game of football.

"I've played in this heat many times. I came to Asia with all my previous clubs, so I know about it. It's difficult for me -- and I am on the touchline. I think it affects the intensity of the game. Pitches are normally dry and the accumulation of these factors makes it difficult, but it's good for us to play under difficult conditions."

The former Chelsea boss also played down the significance of the result when they face Borussia Dortmund on Friday, saying: "We don't analyse opponents at this moment of the season. We don't worry about opponents or the result. Now we do our work and try to improve our qualities. At this moment, Dortmund is not important."

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