UNITED FLOPS ARE TREATED TO A SPA
Massages for misfits as Ole’s lads lap up a pamper session
MANCHESTER United sent their players on a spa day at a luxury resort yesterday — the morning after they were booed off the pitch at Old Trafford.
The United squad turned up at The Mere Golf Resort & Spa in the wake of Wednesday night’s dire 2-0 defeat to Burnley that saw angry fans also turn on the club’s hierarchy.
It is the same exclusive Cheshire retreat where 22 Instagram models stayed earlier this month before allegedly joining Manchester City players in a ‘Bunga Bunga style’ party.
United are understood to have booked their team’s warm-down session before the Burnley game and decided to stick to their plans despite one of their worst performances in recent years.
Some fans will be shocked to learn that the players were being pampered after suffering their third defeat in four league games and losing at home to Burnley for the first time in more than half a century. United are also set to go on a warm-weather training camp in Marbella during the winter break next month.
Assistant manager Michael Carrick was first into the spa at 10.40am yesterday — closely followed by Nemanja Matic, before captain Harry Maguire and the rest of the team went in.
The players not involved on Wednesday night — including Eric Bailly, Angel Gomes, Tahith Chong and James Garner — had a behind- closed- doors game against Liverpool Under 21s at Carrington.
Paul Pogba was back at United’s training base yesterday for gym work, but remains on crutches following ankle surgery.
United are continuing to give manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer their full support despite the recent slump.
Their view is that this cannot be considered Solskjaer’s team until he signs more new players.
Fans also gave their backing to Solskjaer on Wednesday but there was a toxic atmosphere as they protested against United’s American owners the Glazer family and executive vice- chairman Ed Woodward, who was the target for one particularly distasteful chant.
Woodward was not at the game because he was away on club business and his No 2 Richard Arnold was attending the Davos summit in Switzerland.
But stewards were deployed on the perimeter of the pitch in front of the directors’ box and the Stretford End Right Side where the singing section is situated.
United have no plans to beef up security around Woodward or speak to fans in that part of the ground about the chants being aimed at him. There were large areas of empty seats visible around Old Trafford.
In Woodward’s absence, other senior figures went down to the dressing room area afterwards where one was heard to say that it was the worst United performance he had witnessed.
The squad are said to be exhausted after a run of 18 games in 60 days, with Solskjaer having to rely on a relatively small group now that Marcus Rashford has joined Pogba and Scott McTominay on the sidelines.
The departure of captain Ashley Young to Inter Milan last week has deprived United of another leadership figure.
The players are also believed to feel let down by the board for the failure to replace Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez before pulling out of a move for Norway striker Erling Haaland.
Talks with Sporting Lisbon over midfielder Bruno Fernandes have stalled.