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LONDON. — Manchester United fans have high hopes but the mood music is not good ahead of a crunch season for Jose Mourinho.

So much for the power of positivity. As Jose Mourinho prepares for a defining season as Manchester United manager, his list of frustrations is growing and he has not been afraid to share his concerns publicly. “Pre-season is very bad, I have to say that,” he told reporters out on the club’s summer tour of the United States. “Everything is really bad.”

The range of complaints include annoyances with the tour itinerary and grievances over the start date of the English Premier League soccer season. Disrupted preparation is the main reason for his agitation. “I’m worried,” he explained. “I have to be worried. I’m worried because I’m not training and then go to the Premier League without lots of players.”

With key men Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku involved in the Soccer World Cup until the final weekend, it has not been a straightforward build-up for United. “We are not a team,” said Mourinho after watching his side’s goalless draw with San Jose Earthquakes in front of a sparse crowd in California. “We’re a group of players from different teams.”

Some of those concerns are short term. “Against Leicester and Brighton the situation is not amazing for us,” he said this week of the first two Premier League fixtures. But Mourinho’s words and demeanour are not only down to the immediate difficulties ahead of him. There are longer-term problems too. He has refused to even discuss the club’s title prospects. It is easy to see why he might be downbeat. It is not at all obvious that this United team is evolving in the manner that many had anticipated. In Mourinho’s previous post at Chelsea, it took him only a season to assess what was needed before bringing in Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa to address the issues. The Premier League title was duly delivered. — Sky Sports.