Manchester United's newly-appointed head coach Jose Mourinho confirmed that Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling, and Marcus Rashford will come with him in the club's China tour later this month as part of the 2016 International Champions Cup (ICC), but that he will not play any of them in the said tournament.

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The Red Devils are one of three teams that will participate in the China leg of the 2016 ICC starting this July 22 which will end on August 13. The other two clubs visiting the Far East nation this month are United's cross-city rivals Manchester City and Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund.

England national team mainstays Rooney, Smalling, and Rashford are three of the stars in Mourinho's current lineup and the Special One said that he will bring them to China for the fans to meet even though he was "not expecting them to come".

"I am taking the English boys that I was not expecting to come," the Portuguese mentor said, as per SkySports. "Fortunately they are coming. I will take them, but I am not going to play them."

Mourinho also emphasized the need to build chemistry between his players on and off the pitch as one of his priorities this offseason.

"What is important is to work, to be together and to know each other - to live together for 24 hours every day during the week," he added.

Fortunately, the three Englishmen are not the only stars in the Red Devils roster as the Chinese audience will get to see in action their other popular players such as newcomers Zlatan Ibrahimović and Eric Bailly, Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, young forwards Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay, and veteran midfielders Juan Mata and Michael Carrick among others.

Mourinho then revealed that the team will be together for another 10 to 12 days before their Community Shield match versus the reigning English champions Leicester City on August 7. He said that being together as often as they can in the offseason will provide huge benefits once the new Premier League season starts on August 13.

"We will be together for ten to twelve days before the Community Shield. Fifteen to seventeen days before the first (Premier League) game against Bournemouth and it's a difficult situation especially for a new manager but we can't run away from it," Mourinho said, via Daily Mail Online.

"This is what we have and we have to try to do the best we can," he added.

TagsChina Football, 2016 International Champions Cup, Manchester United, Manchester United news, Jose Mourinho