Jose Mourinho insists Club World Cup trophy is 'only important for Chelsea' as ex-Blues boss suggests games at U.S. tournament were played at pre-season friendly pace

Chelsea romped to the lucrative Club World Cup title earlier this month but ex-manager Mourinho has downplayed the achievement, suggesting some teams weren't going at full tilt. He added that Real Madrid's run to the semi-finals reminded him of past pre-season campaigns in the United States when he was in charge at Los Blancos and Inter Milan.

Mourinho told Canal 11: "This Club World Cup also highlighted a kid who also had a great season at Chelsea, Cole Palmer. But this [Real Madrid] run to the semi-finals reminded me every time I went to the US for pre-season with Real Madrid, with Inter [Milan]; it reminded me of those games we played there. So, I think this World Cup title is only important for Chelsea, as they'll sell a lot of jerseys with the logo there."

Mourinho, who had two spells as Chelsea manager, may be right to suggest that not too much should be drawn from the Blues' Club World Cup triumph. After all, many teams were finishing off a lengthy season and some players will have their minds' eye on staying fit for next term and not burning themselves out.

Enzo Maresca's Chelsea, who will embark upon a scaled-back pre-season tour after their exploits in the United States, take on Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan on August 8 and 10, respectively, before kickstarting their Premier League campaign at home to Crystal Palace on August 17.