Manchester United: A recruiting dilemma evident after preseason

Jose Mourinho’s constant whining of his players’ unavailability has been the somber theme of Manchester United’s pre-season tour.

In every media availability, Mourinho has shown his frustration toward the lack of players he can work with.

The absence of Alexis Sanchez in the opening match against Club America was the early sign of the chaotic tour as 12 first-team United players missed part of the U.S. tour as they recover from World Cup commitment. Sanchez’s absence was out of Mourinho and the staff’s control, but what unfolded over the next 17 days went from bad to worse coming from his mismanagement.

From day one, it was clear that the majority of United players on tour won’t have an integral role in Mourinho’s plan once the World Cup stars return for the first match on Friday.

One after another and another

Bad. Worried. Tough. Just some of the words Mourinho used to describe the first day of the trip. Then, the manager stumbled his way through every media commitment, with the apparent frustration displayed whenever he was asked about his squad.

Then came the departure of Anthony Martial, who returned to France to witness the birth of his son amid transfer rumors. It triggered another attack from the press and Mourinho’s question of his professionalism was adding fuel to the fire.

Then came Antonio Valencia’s tour-ending prematurely with the manager commenting on his return from his break out of shape. Nemanja Matic was sent home just two days after joining the tour after he was discovered with a hernia problem. Chris Smalling also pulled out of United’s penultimate ICC match against Liverpool in the last minute. Andres Pereira, Ander Herrera, Matteo Darmian and Juan Mata also suffered problems but decided to play through it as the manager was reluctant to field the youngsters.

Then came Mourinho’s complaint of the lack of reinforcements with the manager indicating he wants three to five signings at the start of the summer but reduced his demand to three as the days went by. Then came one final attack to United’s Under-23 squad, which was relegated from the Premier League 2 last season, as Mourinho said he couldn’t use the players that stuck in the reserve squad seeing out their contracts.