Jose Mourinho refused to sign a fan’s Chelsea shirt after landing in China for Manchester United’s pre-season tour.
The Portuguese coach is largely revered by Blues supporters following his three Premier League title triumphs, though their admiration will be tested by his reign at rivals United.
During the first day of his debut summer tour with the Red Devils, Mourinho was clear in where his loyalties now lie.
He met a crowd of adoring fans in China, penning autographs for many, but chose against signing a Chelsea jersey while shaking his head.
After guiding Chelsea to the top-flight trophy with relative ease in 2014/15, Mourinho endured a difficult start to last season in west London.
The Blues displayed a mere 25% win ratio across his 16 league matches, with a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City being the proverbial final straw.
Mourinho’s men were uncharacteristically shaky in defence, conceding at a rate of 1.62 goals per league game – far inferior to their record of 0.83 during the previous campaign.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils disappointed greatly under Louis van Gaal, as their FA Cup triumph struggled to offset their awful performances in four other competitions.
United are aiming to rectify that form under Mourinho, and this crucial pre-season will step-up in the coming days in China, with fixtures against Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City ahead.
