Mourinho risks more player unrest over festive training
Christmas Day was considered an important time for families by Ferguson, Van Gaal and Moyes, but things have changed under the new manager.
By all accounts, the challenges at Manchester United for José Mourinho are continuing to mount up, both on and off the field. The latest one, however, is entirely of his own making, a decision that has not been looked at positively by many in the Old Trafford changing room.
Mourinho's festive training
The United manager cannot afford to drop many points over the busy Christmas schedule - they currently sit in sixth position after 16 games, eight points off the team in fourth - and has chosen to add an extra training session for the players and coaches. With the game against Huddersfield kicking off at 16:00 on Boxing Day (26 December), the afternoon of Christmas Day will be used to fine tune the tactics, according to The Sun.
Just when relationships with a number of players seems frayed, this decision has not gone down well, as many of the players will not get to enjoy the traditional lunch planned with their families or friends.
During the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson, an unwritten rule was established at the club whereby the entire group were guaranteed to be at home following a morning get together. Louis van Gaal and David Moyes used to give players the day off. With Mourinho, however, this has changed, and for the third year in a row, he has arranged an afternoon session on December 25 to prepare for the following day's match. Last year did see the training pushed back after players made their discontent known.
Next up for United is a trip to the current Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.
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