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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Daniel Murphy

Solskjaer chats and Sancho shines — Five things spotted in Man United training before Watford fixture

Manchester United players have returned to training this week ahead of resuming their Premier League campaign at the weekend.

Members of the squad who weren't away representing their countries during the international break were granted a week off by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the manager returning home to Norway himself for a short break.

Solskjaer has been in the firing line lately amid United's turgid recent form, but the Norwegian will hope the rest does everyone good and that his team improve swhen they face Watford on Saturday.

After several first-team players reported at Carrington on Monday, Solskjaer returned on Tuesday to lead a session out on the pitch.

English trio Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Jadon Sancho were all in action, as well as Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial, Amad, Dean Henderson and Aaron Wan-Bissaka and others, with the rest of the squad expected to return through the week following the final round of World Cup qualifiers.

United have released a series of images from Tuesday's session and here are five things we spotted...

1 - Fringe starts gunning for a chance
Jadon Sancho will be hoping for chances (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

With the majority of United's usual starters away on international duty, Solskjaer was able to take a closer look at some of his fringe players in Tuesday's training.

Sancho, Lingard, Donny van de Beek and Alex Telles have all struggled for game time so far this season but will be hoping to have impressed the manager enough to get more opportunities — starting with the trip to Vicarage Road.

2 - Ole overseeing training
Solskjaer oversees training (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Although Solskjaer has once again survived when it looked as though his time in the hot seat might be over, the pressure is certainly still on.

After Watford, United have another difficult run of games, when they will face Villarreal, Chelsea and Arsenal before the hectic festive period begins.

Any more mishaps could be the final nail for Solskjaer, so the boss will be feeling the heat to get his side back playing well again. After a rejuvenating week off, he was back on the field on Tuesday overseeing the session.

3 - Youngsters involved
Hannibal and McNeil are two of the youngsters invovled (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images))

With senior numbers short, several young of United's promising youngsters were given an opportunity to train with the first team, no doubt hoping they've caught the eye of the manager.

Centre-back Teden Mengi, forward Charlie McNeil, exciting playmaker Hannibal and the in-form Alvaro Fernandez among those involved in the session.

4 - Rashford and Ole chat

While most of the United side have struggled in recent weeks, Rashford has been in excellent form since making his return from shoulder surgery, with three goals in six games.

He was initially called up to the England squad but then pulled out to focus on getting back to 100 per cent fitness following his comeback, as he is yet to play a full 90 minutes in those six appearances.

Hopefully, Rashford is now close to that and he was snapped deep in conversation with Solskjaer during training.

5 - Spirits high
The winning team (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Despite the pressure the team is under after a run of terrible results prior to the break, spirits appeared to remain high within the squad.

There were plenty of smiles on show, especially as Henderson, Wan-Bissaka, Rashford, Sancho and Amad posed together after winning the day's five-a-side tournament.

It's a further testament to Solskjaer's man-management that the mood remains positive in the squad despite their struggles.

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