United return to training next week PLUS Bruno has Ronaldo’s will to win

UNITED have provisionally planned for players to report to training next week at staggered times amid the possible restart of the Premier League season next month.

Groups of twos and threes are scheduled to return to United’s Carrington training complex on Monday for sessions that are due to be conducted without the majority of the United coaching staff present.

Ground staff at Carrington have started relaying pitches after the

Under-23 and Under-18 campaigns were cancelled, but the M.E.N. understands two pitches have been maintained for the first-team. The club has minimised staff at the training ground during the suspension of football.

United have not trained at Carrington since March 13 – when the Premier League was suspended – but players based overseas were told two weeks ago to prepare to return to the UK. Odion Ighalo, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, Victor Lindelof, and Sergio Romero arrived back in England last week.

The M.E.N. reported United players were told to start intensifying their fitness training in quarantine ahead of planned sessions at Carrington. United’s strength and conditioning coach Charlie Owen is in constant dialogue with the players.

Lindelof, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Andreas Pereira did ball-work together in Bowdon on Tuesday while maintaining social distancing. Fred has also used local parks to train more rigorously with his physical trainer Tulio Horta, a Brazilian who has been based in Manchester for most of the season.

Pereira told GloboEsporte last week: “We had a meeting and were told that if everything is going well, we’ll be back in training on May 18 in groups of six. If that goes well, a week or two later, we’ll be able to train as a group. “There will be six players training initially and there won’t be much contact between us. We’ll still be separated and training in different parts of the pitch. Those precautions have to be followed. I don’t know who’ll be in my group yet.” United coaches issued the players with individual programmes and nutritional menus following the suspension of competitions in March. Owen, lead sports scientist Ed Leng, and head of athletic training Richard Hawkins have held web meetings with players on Instagram.

The United first-team coach Kieran McKenna said last month the club was hopeful of resuming training in May.

Two pitches have been maintained at Carrington for the first team

Samuel Luckhurst