Manchester United were back at Carrington on Thursday as they prepare for Sunday's massive game against Arsenal.
Erik Ten Hag's side drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening, Michael Olise's injury-time free-kick cancelling out Bruno Fernandes' opener and sending a gut-punching blow to the Red Devils. Two points dropped saw their nine-game winning run ended alongside their chances of leapfrogging Man City.
No time to dwell, however, with Sunday's trip to the Emirates offering United a chance to close the gap on table-toppers Arsenal to just five points. And with a mere three-day turnaround, Ten Hag wasted no time in getting players back at Carrington. Below, the MEN explore three key takeaways from today's session.
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Palace players rested
One key point of intrigue was the absence of those who started at Selhurst Park on Wednesday night. None of the starting-XI were snapped outside at Carrington today, although substitutes Fred, Scott McTominay and Alejandro Garnacho were all present - understandable, given none of them played more than 25 minutes.
With Sunday's trip to Arsenal already on the horizon, those who featured prominently last night will have been enjoying a day of active rest and recovery. Many will likely have been at Carrington today, either in the medical room or analysing Wednesday night's performance.
Jadon Sancho returns
As confirmed on Wednesday morning, Jadon Sancho made his return to United training following more than two months out. The 22-year-old has not played for United since the 1-1 draw against Chelsea in October and was last spotted in training on the final day of that month. Erik Ten Hag confirmed two weeks ago that the winger had struggled with his fitness.
Thursday's session was the first since October in which the winger was pictured at Carrington as he continues to be reintegrated into first-team training. Sancho was not involved in the squad that travelled to Selhurst Park on Wednesday night but could be in line to make the matchday squad come Sunday.
The winger was seen being put through his paces - and appears to have put his fitness issues behind him.
Young guns fill in
With a number of senior players recovering, several of United's youngsters were involved in training. Alongside the usual suspects - the likes of Facundo Pellistri and Anthony Elanga - were Charlie McNeil, Charlie Savage and Maxi Oyedele.
While a place in the squad for Sunday is unlikely, the opportunity to impress Ten Hag and his coaching staff should provide plenty of encouragement for those drafted in.
A nippy one!
Those within the Greater Manchester area will be well aware of how cold it has been the last couple of days, and United players were wrapped up heavily as they prepared for Sunday. Temperatures were close to freezing going into mid-day Thursday, with a blanket of snow providing a delayed festive feel.
Snoods and gloves were out in full force at Carrington, not least for the likes of Madrid-born Garnacho and the Brazilian Fred - although some of the younger lot managed just shorts!
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