Manchester United have welcomed back some of their players for pre-season training at Carrington ahead of a busy schedule of friendlies.
United only concluded the 2022/23 season 34 days ago when they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley. But they are already preparing for the 2023/24 campaign, with Erik ten Hag welcoming back a select group of players for initial fitness work.
The group who were spotted at the club’s Carrington training complex on Thursday were those who were not involved in international matches recently. That includes up-and-coming youngsters, those on the way back from injury and those who have retired from international duty.
With the summer transfer window open, the make-up of Ten Hag’s squad is bound to change between now and the deadline on September 1. But for now some wantaway players remain at Carrington.
Here Mirror Football takes a look at what can be learned from the training pictures.
Mount involved
Mason Mount completed his £60million transfer from Chelsea on Wednesday and he was straight into training on Thursday. The England midfielder is the first United signing of the transfer window and an exciting one for fans.
He is set to play as a No8 in Ten Hag’s midfield and was all smiles during his first training session at Carrington with his new team-mates. Mount was pictured sharing a joke with Lisandro Martinez and taking part in passing and shooting drills.
Injured players return
Martinez and Donny van de Beek were both missing from the final few months of the season due to injuries. Martinez sustained a fractured metatarsal on April 13 while Van de Beek was sidelined from January 3 due to a knee injury.
Both are now back fit and taking part in full training. Martinez was a hugely important player for United last season following his move from Ajax and was really missed in the latter stages of the season, with Luke Shaw forced to move to centre-back to plug the gap.
Van de Beek, meanwhile, will be desperate to impress Ten Hag and force his way into the side. That will be more difficult now Mount is on the scene.
Amad back
Amad enjoyed a fantastic breakthrough season on loan with Sunderland in 2022/23. The £37million winger was given the freedom to express himself on Wearside and has now returned to United to try and gain a place in Ten Hag’s team.
He comes back with a ringing endorsement from Sunderland's sporting director Kristjaan Speakman. “Can Amad return to Sunderland? I don't think so. He should be playing in tier one, in England, La Liga, Bundesliga, wherever,” he said.
"That's the level of player he is. The staff here, the players and supporters have helped him get back on that journey and hopefully that will attract more players to want to come to Sunderland."
Henderson poised to leave
Dean Henderson was present at Carrington, but might not be for much longer.
Mirror Football understands that Henderson is unlikely to go on United’s pre-season tour, with a £30million move to Nottingham Forest on the cards. He grew fed up of playing second fiddle to David de Gea and wants to leave, despite the Spaniard’s contract expiring.
As exclusively revealed by Mirror Football, United are close to signing Andre Onana, so Henderson knows he won’t be No1.
Williams back after rebuke
Brandon Williams was among those involved in training, just weeks after being rebuked by the club for his social media posts.
Williams poked fun at Manchester City following their Champions League win, but his comments weren’t appreciated by officials at United.
The left-back could well leave the club this summer, with Ten Hag handing him just one appearance last season.
Youngsters look to impress
With the majority of the United squad yet to report for duty, United’s training session on Thursday had a distinct youthful feel.
Charlie Savage, Noam Emeran, Shola Shoretire, Will Fish, Joe Hugill, Maxi Oyedele, Isak Hansen-Aaroen and Toby Collyer were all included in the first-team session. Pre-season is the perfect time to catch the eye of the head coach, with friendlies coming up.
United’s first pre-season fixture is against Leeds in Oslo on July 12, with plenty of others to follow. Opportunity abounds.
