Mourinho hopes United players will bond in China

Manchester United’s pre-season tour of China this month, when they face Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, will give the players an opportunity to forge a close bond, manager Jose Mourinho has said.

United’s first game under Mourinho will be against last season’s Bundesliga runners-up Dortmund in the International Champions Cup in Shanghai on July 22.

The 53-year-old Portuguese manager will also renew hostilities with old adversary Pep Guardiola, who replaced Manuel Pellegrini as City’s manager, on June 25.

“I hope to see a group, from an emotional point of view, coming together and getting to know each other better and understanding each other better,” Mourinho said in an interview with adidas’ Front Row.

“It’s important from a football point of view, but also from a human qualities point of view, that’s very important. I think the pre-season tours are also for the club dimension.”

United will take on Premier League champions Leicester City in the annual Community Shield game at Wembley on Aug. 7. The 20-times English league winners begin their league campaign with a trip to Bournemouth on Aug. 14.