LONDON - Jose Mourinho decided to take a more hands-on role in Manchester United’s travel plans even before the debacle that saw the team return home at 4am from Monday’s FA Cup defeat at Chelsea.
Mourinho castigated club officials after his players were forced to make a five-hour return from Stamford Bridge on the team bus when their scheduled flight from Heathrow was delayed.
The incident compounded Mourinho’s concerns that the travel and accommodation booked for his team are not up to the standards he would expect for a club of United’s stature.
The 54-year-old has made his feelings known to the Old Trafford hierarchy on several occasions that the quality needs to be upgraded, and some senior players are said to share the manager’s view.
Mourinho decided to stay at the Pestana hotel on Chelsea Bridge before Monday’s 1-0 defeat against his old club. The Portuguese chain has links to Cristiano Ronaldo after building the Pestana CR7 Hotel in his hometown of Funchal. The private jet that took the United squad to and from Rostov last week was also said to be significantly better than the transport the team have used in the past.
Mourinho is known to have a fastidious attention to detail, though it is quite common for a United manager to tailor the team’s plans to his personal wishes. Sir Alex Ferguson was known to favour comfort over location and Louis van Gaal prioritised being as close as possible to the stadium.
Mourinho’s preferences will also play a significant part when United plan their pre-season tour of the USA this summer.
He has used university facilities in Los Angeles on several occasions before in his career and that is expected to be United’s base during their stay in California.