Manchester United have arrived in Rostov for their important Europe League tie tomorrow evening and there to greet them is one of the worst pitches on the UEFA circuit. FC Rostov boss Ivan Daniliants sent a 'warning' to United about the condition of the Rostov pitch at Olimp-2 Stadium and after seeing it firsthand today, Jose Mourinho and co are less than impressed.
Jose fuming about state of pitch in Rostov
— Paul Hirst (@hirstclass) March 8, 2017
Journalists were sharing their first impressions of the pitch this morning. In patches, it looks like a football pitch in Texas or Sydney after an especially hot summer. But it's the middle of Russian winter. The pitch is in such poor condition that Rostov - who are just back from a three-week winter break - are training elsewhere.
Can see why Mourinho so unhappy about the state of the 'patchwork' pitch here in Rostov #MUFC @MirrorFootball pic.twitter.com/Px8VC8vqen
— David McDonnell (@DiscoMirror) March 8, 2017
Doesn't look great ... pic.twitter.com/f34QEmxH80
— Chris Wheeler (@ChrisWheelerDM) March 8, 2017
Herrera & Rojo testing out the bounce of the ball in Rostov ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/BGTBQHeULv
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) March 8, 2017
Last picture of the pitch. It's minging. pic.twitter.com/dEs6CPUHg5
— Rob Dawson (@RobDawsonESPN) March 8, 2017
Mourinho compares the Rostov pitch to the Bird's Nest in the summer. Just raised concerns to UEFA official, who told him players are insured
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) March 8, 2017
It will be interesting to see how the poor pitch affects Mourinho's team selection tomorrow. Winning the Europa League could be United's clearest path to the Champions League, with sixth place in the league feeling like a terminal condition.
