José Mourinho’s relationship with Anthony Martial is at breaking point after the forward left Manchester United’s pre-season tour to fly to France to attend the birth of his second child.
Mourinho, the United manager, is understood to be angry with the 22-year-old, who left the squad’s UCLA training base yesterday to fly to Paris, where his partner, Mélanie Da Cruz, is due to give birth to a boy.
United would not say whether Martial, who has a three-year-old daughter, Peyton, with his previous partner, Samantha Jacquelinet, had permission to leave the camp, but it is understood that Mourinho is deeply unhappy with the player. It is understood that Martial told his team-mates that he has no intention of returning to the US for the two remaining tour matches.
Their relationship was already strained after unimpressive performances in United’s first two tour matches against Club América and San José Earthquakes. Mourinho will not stand in Martial’s way if he asks to leave the club, but United would prefer to sell to a foreign team.
In another setback for the United manager, Antonio Valencia, the captain, flew home yesterday for treatment on a calf injury that he suffered against San José.
The right back is now a doubt for United’s first Premier League match of the season against Leicester City.
Mourinho has cut a glum figure throughout this five-match tour of the United States, with his primary complaints being a lack of first-team personnel being available because of the World Cup, and the club’s failure to bring in more new signings.
He has hinted at a growing frustration with Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, over his inability to sign two more players. Woodward has so far signed Fred, the Brazil midfielder, Diogo Dalot, the 19-year-old full back, and Lee Grant, the back-up goalkeeper. Woodward is due to fly back to the US next week and Mourinho is hoping that he has an update on the club’s pursuit of a centre back and a wide forward.
United risk antagonising Mourinho even further after it emerged that the club are considering touring the Far East and Australia next summer.
The Portuguese is a big fan of UCLA, which is lending some of its training pitches to United for the second season running. United are considering avoiding the US next year, however, and are thinking of heading east instead. United could travel to China and Australia, which would involve a much longer flight than the one they took to California on July 15.
United have not sold out any of their tour matches in the US so far, but visiting the Far East, which they have not done since 2016, and Australia, which they last visited in 2013, is likely to stir serious interest.
A crowd of 55,522 watched Perth Glory play Chelsea on Monday. The Glory owner Tony Sage says that he has been approached about his club hosting another big-name rival, with United rumoured to be among the possible opponents.
“I’ve heard they are talking with one or two clubs. It all looks good for other big clubs to come,” Sage said.
When asked why he kept going to California, Mourinho, who has visited UCLA with Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, said: “Since 2004 I normally come to the US apart from a couple of seasons that I had to go to Asia for commercial reasons but for more than ten years I have come here and I keep saying [there have been] no mistakes.” When United visited China in 2016, their friendly against Manchester City was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.