Manchester United continue to put in the hard yards during their pre-season tour in Australia.
After chalking up an impressive victory over Liverpool on the Thailand leg of their summer roadshow, United made it two wins from two under Erik ten Hag when sweeping aside Melbourne Victory at the world-famous MCG. It was a result they earned after surprisingly falling behind to the Australians.
Ten Hag and his players now have two further games down under against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa before finalising their preparations in Norway. Here are four things we spotted during their latest training session at AAMI Park.
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Ten Hag's message to United players
If we have learned one thing about Ten Hag during his short time as United manager, then it is his insatiable need (or demand) for the squad to think harder than they have ever done before.
That has been evident from both the video clips that have emerged from training and, also, his touchline demeanour. It was clearly what Ten Hag asked from his players when mapping out this latest session.
Donny wins double Dutch foot-race
From the moment Ten Hag became manager, there was always going to be Dutch-vibe around the United squad and it feels as though they have been linked with just about every Netherlands player this summer.
First signing Tyrell Malacia has settled in well, but came off second best here in a foot-race with his countryman Donny van de Beek. Still, both left Bruno Fernandes trailing out of shot.
Martial quickly out of the blocks
It looked for all the world Anthony Martial was going to depart Old Trafford this summer. However, with two goals from as many pre-season games and continued speculation over United talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, an unthinkable opportunity has been presented to the France striker. He has taken it with both hands, too, and looked sharp in this latest session at AAMI Park in Melbourne.
Goalkeepers thinking on their feet
Change is the buzzword for United this summer and David de Gea might have to adjust more than most due to a shift in philosophy.
Ten Hag will play out from the back and there will be no negotiation on that style, so much so that De Gea and his fellow United goalkeepers will be put through further drills similar to an inventive one here in Melbourne involving miniature and regular-sized footballs.
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