Manchester United youngsters have been urged by manager Erik ten Hag to maximise their unique opportunity to impress him during the mid-season training camp in Spain.
Having put their Premier League and European charge on hold while the World Cup in Qatar plays out, United have flown out to Spain for some warm-weather training and will, also, play two friendly matches while they are away as Cadiz and Real Betis put the players through their paces in the coming days.
Several first-team squad members have been included for the trip; namely long-serving Spain goalkeeper David de Gea, Victor Lindelof, Donny van de Beek and fit-again Anthony Martial. However, generally speaking, the group that has been taken predominantly features their Academy graduates.
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Zidane Iqbal, Charlie Savage, Kobbie Mainoo and Argentina forward Alejandro Garnacho are among them. But one man who has stayed at home is Jadon Sancho as he sticks to an individual plan.
During an interview with MUFC media, Ten Hag said: "I think this is a great opportunity for them. Normally we don't have this break and now we have this break. Many players are at the World Cup, so there are positions available and they [the young players] can get used in these positions."
Ten Hag added: "They can show themselves and they can challenge players who already play in the Premier League, so it's fantastic for them."
United play Cadiz on Wednesday night (7pm UK time) and continue their mid-season preparations against Betis on Saturday afternoon (5pm). It comes hours before Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford target World Cup progression for England against France with all eyes on that blockbuster last-16 showdown.
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