Get all the latest from Manchester United’s Carrington training facility before their match against Bournemouth on Saturday at Old Trafford.
When Manchester United hosts Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, they will be looking to win the Premier League for the second time in a row.
The Reds, who defeated the Cherries in both of their previous seasons, returned to winning ways on Wednesday night when they defeated Chelsea 2-1. After Cole Palmer’s equaliser, Scott McTominay scored twice to move United up to sixth place in the standings.
It was the perfect reaction to their performance-less, uninspired loss to Newcastle United at St James’ Park four days earlier, where they had looked as dismal as they had been in a long time under Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman will therefore be eager for his team to build on their triumph over Chelsea and pursue a top-four spot going forward.
United would draw even with Manchester City, who play on Sunday this weekend, if they defeated Bournemouth. This indicates that the Reds are under pressure to win consecutive games.
Less than twenty-four hours after the victory against Chelsea, Thursday’s Carrington training session seemed to be quite light, with players who didn’t start the game on Wednesday night participating. It implied that participation was limited to those who left the bench or didn’t participate at all.
Having said that, MEN Sport has selected five observations from the training session on Thursday.
Raphael Varane’s name was missing from the team sheet on Wednesday night, and United claimed that he missed the match against Chelsea due to a “sore back.” Even though he hasn’t been in Ten Hag’s first-choice starting lineup lately, he has been a consistent reserve, so there were some eyebrows raised by his midweek absence. United, though, argued that a back problem prevented him from playing. He did, however, practice on Thursday and is expecting to be considered for the match against Bournemouth.
For the first time since sustaining a knee injury during the preseason, United first team member Winger Amad was pictured taking part in a training session. Although he has been working on an individual rehabilitation programme lately, his attendance on Thursday hints that a return might not be too far off. When he was seen wearing the red bib, he had a broad smile on his face and seemed happy to be back on the pitch with his colleagues after spending a long time off the pitch.
Winger Amad, a member of the United first squad, was seen participating in a training session for the first time since suffering a knee injury during the preseason. Despite his recent focus on a solitary rehabilitation programme, his presence on Thursday suggests that a comeback may not be too far off. He had a big smile on his face and was delighted to be back on the pitch with his teammates after being away from it for a while when he was spotted wearing the red bib.
Kobbie Mainoo will be aiming for a recall against Bournemouth after failing to come off the bench against Chelsea. It was the first time he had not played in any role since making his comeback against Everton nearly two weeks prior. However, Ten Hag acknowledged in the days leading up to the match that his level of fitness needed to be closely monitored. Along with the other players who did not play in midweek, he participated in Thursday’s training session and will undoubtedly be motivated to put in his best effort this weekend in the hopes of being called up.
As usual, Ten Hag brought a number of young players to United’s most recent practise, one of whom being defender Sam Murray, who has not yet made his senior debut for the team. Dan Gore, Hannibal Mejbri, Shola Shoretire, and Maxi Oyedele joined him in the session.
