Manchester United's players were all smiles yesterday as they returned for pre-season training and the start of the Erik ten Hag era.
Whether they will still be smiling in a few weeks remains to be seen, as ten Hag has vowed to put United's players through a gruelling pre-season regime to ensure they are in peak condition. Players including David De Gea, Victor Lindelof, Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, Jadon Sancho and young sensation Alejandro Garnacho all reported for duty and a first face-to-face meeting with their new boss.
Ten Hag arrived at United's Carrington training base at 8am, two hours before his players were due to report back for pre-season following their four-week summer break. The 52-year-old Dutchman was driven into the training ground by security staff, the fifth permanent manager to take charge of United since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down back in 2013.
