Jose Mourinho got angry after Ander Herrera invited a friend with close links to Celta Vigo to Manchester United’s training ground ahead of the pair’s Europa League clash last season, according to British media.
The Spanish midfielder, who was voted United’s player of the season for the last campaign, has made just one start in the Premier League so far this season.
The 28-year-old invited a visitor, said to have links with Celta Vigo, to United’s Carrington training base ahead of the Europa League semi-final, according to source quoted by the Daily Mail. Manchester United won the game 1-0.
Mourinho, who guided United to three trophies last season, is said to have recognized the person and ordered Herrera into his office to discuss the problem.
Herrera started the game against Stoke on Saturday, but Mourinho will need to rely again on the former Athletic Bilbao player in the coming weeks.
In United’s return to the Champions League, a 3-0 win over FC Basel on Tuesday, Mourinho had to withdraw captain Paul Pogba after just 19 minutes. The French midfielder left the stadium on crutches and could be out for up to six weeks.
Mourinho has already said that he has a good depth to his squad, with Herrera being one of the players he may have to call upon with Pogba sidelined for a possible eight games.
“Squads are for this,” Mourinho said on Tuesday night, as quoted by ESPN. “Squads are for injuries, squads are for suspensions. So if no Paul for Sunday, we have [Ander] Herrera, we have [Michael] Carrick, we have [Marouane] Fellaini and we have [Nemanja] Matic. We don’t cry.”
And the first test without Pogba comes on Sunday when Everton is the visitor to Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney will return for the first time since returning to the Toffees, while Mourinho will look to keep Manchester United at the top of the Premier League following a rampant start to the season with 10 points from a possible 12.
.Newsweek
