KUALA LUMPUR: Jose Mourinho yesterday warned that players who aren’t automatic picks for their clubs could miss out on the World Cup in Brazil next year.
The Chelsea boss issued the warning just after Manchester United rejected a bid from the Blues for 27-year-old Wayne Rooney, who has been told by new manager David Moyes that Robin van Persie is the club’s first-choice striker.
“Normally for a player to be selected to play for his country, the player must be a first choice player in the club,” Mourinho told reporters in Malaysia during Chelsea’s brand-boosting tour in Asia.
“So any player that wants to go to the World Cup... if they are second choice in their club they are in trouble. They are in trouble,” he warned.
Earlier some 100 fans gathered outside the team’s hotel to welcome the players on their arrival from Bangkok.
The Blues-adoring supporters held up a “Welcome” banner and yelled: “We love you Chelsea.”
Chelsea will play Malaysia’s national selection on Sunday before heading to Jakarta.
A Chelsea official told reporters before the press conference that 50-year-old Mourinho would not answer any questions related to a failed bid for Rooney. The England forward has two years left on his contract with Manchester United but has been pushing for a move. Dutch striker van Persie is seen as United’s first choice striker.
During the conference Mourinho said that with the World Cup a year away, a player picked regularly for his team would obviously stand a better chance of representing his country in the Brazil World Cup.
“He must play very regular for the club and that is the big motivation if they are thinking about the World Cup,” he said.
Mourinho has previously stated that striker Rooney was Chelsea’s only remaining summer transfer target for the club.
News reports had stated that Rooney wanted to leave Old Trafford this summer, identifying Chelsea as the club he wants to join, due to a lack of pitch-time at United last season.
The England international, who has been the subject of an inquiry from Arsenal, believes he is at the peak of his career and is unwilling to become a back-up player, particularly in a World Cup year.
Two days ago, the charismatic Portuguese, in his first game back after six seasons away, led a side brimming with new faces to a 1-0 “training session” win over Singha All-Star XI.
Mourinho’s Chelsea are rated as the biggest threat to Manchester United’s title defence as Moyes attempts to follow Alex Ferguson’s 27-year, 38-trophy reign.
And Chelsea got off to a positive start under Mourinho by beating the All Stars -- who shocked United in Bangkok last week -- 1-0 courtesy of a Romelu Lukaku first-half penalty.
Kevin De Bruyne was a chief threat on his debut, after returning from a loan spell at Werder Bremen, and he whistled a thunderous shot past the uprights on 23 minutes.
Lukaku was also posing problems early on and he forced a sharp save from the goalkeeper after galloping through one-on-one on the half-hour.
But the first goal of Mourinho’s new era came from the spot after Brazilian right-back Wallace, Chelsea’s new signing from Fluminense, went down under a challenge in the box.
And Lukaku made no mistake with his left foot as he drove the penalty low and to the ‘keeper’s right for his first goal in a Chelsea shirt, with 35 minutes gone.
The six foot four (1.93 metre) Belgian might have had another but his first-time shot in the box was again parried away.
Both teams switched nearly their entire teams at half-time and it was a disjointed second period from the Blues.
“It was a good experience for us, because they were very well organised tactically, they were very compact... I think my team were always in control,” Mourinho said. “It was a good training session,” he added. Mourinho said veteran midfielder Frank Lampard had been left out as a precaution after taking a knock to the kidneys. AGENCIES
