Inside Story: United look sharp in the sunshine

Inside Story: United look sharp in the sunshine

It is an absolute privilege to be able to get so close to Manchester United’s training sessions and, as an ardent supporter, I have to say it is encouraging to see the development taking place at Carrington.

After a session in the gym, the group were in particularly high spirits on Tuesday, perhaps to be expected after a huge three points were secured in the 2-1 win over Chelsea, and there were plenty of smiles and laughs before the serious business got under way.

We have grown accustomed to seeing players run the gauntlet, taking playful slaps (and the odd kick!) as they make their way through the tunnel formed by colleagues on either side of each other.

Several made their way through, including Ayden Heaven (his birthday was on Monday), Bruno Fernandes (for hitting the 100-goal landmark) and Diogo Dalot (to mark his return to fitness after recovering from injury).

Sporting our new adidas Tiro trainingwear for the first time, the players split into groups to play games of rondos and head tennis to loosen up and the mood remained very upbeat and positive throughout.

When it came to the tactical drills, there was a chance to indulge in some ballwork and, for me, to get a first glimpse of Senne Lammens, as our latest signing made one outstanding save from Joshua Zirkzee at close range.

To be fair, each of the four goalkeepers (Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton and Dermot Mee also took part) made top stops at various points but it was not hard to be drawn to the slick interplay from the outfielders.

Benjamin Sesko looked very sharp in front of goal, displaying a variety of finishes, including an emphatic penalty he won during the practice game. It was telling how much encouragement there was in general, but the Slovenia striker’s clinical marksmanship drew appreciative ripples of applause and shouts of ‘yes, Ben’ from his colleagues.

Fellow forward Zirkzee was also in the zone with his shooting, firing home on a number of occasions and earning endorsement from the coaching staff for one expertly dispatched far-post finish.

Dalot looked fighting fit, after his two-game absence, by marauding down the right flank to supply inviting crosses, and Fernandes looked in the mood to quickly move past the 100-goal mark by displaying an astonishing amount of precision, and sometimes cheek, when rifling opportunities into the net on a regular basis.

The skipper also offered some personal praise to Sam Mather, when the Under-21s midfielder connected sweetly to thunder one shot low into the bottom corner of the net.

In truth, it was not really any individuals who impressed most. It was the way the team was capable of moving the ball around, using one-touch passes to open up the space and carve out shooting openings, with the emphasis on loading the box to finish past the goalkeepers.

To somebody who has watched an awful lot of football, it was evident that the connections and intuitive exchanges were a step up from the very start of the season, with the effects of the coaching sessions and instructions becoming obvious.

While Brentford will provide a tough test on Saturday, the spirit in the camp, and work shown at Carrington, would be enough to give any supporter optimism ahead of our next challenge. 

Let’s hope the rest of the week goes just as well, before we run out at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.

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