Newly-appointed Manchester United head coach Jose Mourinho is reportedly "frustrated" about the absences of big-name players Zlatan Ibrahimović and Bastian Schweinsteiger during the squad's China pre-season games in the 2016 International Champions Cup this weekend.

The 53-year-old Portuguese mentor recently announced that their recent superstar acquisition, Ibrahimović, and Germany national team captain Schweinsteiger will not be able to participate in their ICC games on July 22 and July 25 against Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City respectively. The two players were said to be still resting from their involvement in the recently concluded 2016 UEFA European Championship.

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Metro reported that Mourinho admitted the nonattendance of both players "is a source of frustration" and that he would have wanted them to come with him to China as their presence would "provide a crucial opportunity to build team spirit ahead of a grueling campaign" in the coming English top flight season where the Red Devils will target no less than the Premier League crown.

England national team mainstay Wayne Rooney, Christ Smalling, and Marcus Rashford will join the squad during the tour, but will not be fielded in by Mourinho as the new Man United boss wants to extend their rest as well.

"The fact that we won't travel with every player, from a tactical point of view, breaks a little bit the objective of a pre-season tour, but that's the way it is," Mourinho said. "We cannot make miracles and the players cannot go directly from the Euros to pre-season."

"They need their break and we need them for the next 10 months. It will be a bit strange, especially for a new manager that needs to know the players and to work with the players," he added.

United has 22 players available, excluding the five aforementioned footballers, for their two-game stint in China, as per the Telegraph. Other newcomers Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly are going to play as well as young English defender Luke Shaw, who made his first appearance since breaking his leg in September during last season's Champions League.

The Red Devils blanked Football League Championship squad Wigan Athletic, 2-0, in a friendly match at the DW Stadium last Saturday using the same 22-man lineup, which marked Mourinho first-ever game as United manager.

TagsChina Football, China football 2016, China Football News, Jose Mourinho, Manchester United, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Bastian Schweinsteiger