Solskjaer reveals players had training sessions while on break in Middle East
UNITED put on separate training sessions for players in Dubai despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claiming they would not be travelling to the region for training during the winter break.
The Reds boss said last month tensions in the Middle East, following the assassination of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in a US air strike, had convinced United to switch their training camp to Marbella.
However, United players Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Jesse Lingard trained with first-team coach Kieran McKenna at the Nad al Sheba Sports Complex and Paul Pogba flew to Dubai last week. United had given permission for players to holiday in Dubai and Solskjaer clarified the club had organised training sessions with some players.
“We put it on and we put it down to them,” Solskjaer explained. “It wasn’t just them, it was more of them that got together there. It was a different scenario for them, because they hadn’t played so much - Luke, Diogo and Jesse - so they had more sessions than the others that were down there on holiday. And the ones that went somewhere else, they also had a programme, or some tips and hints about what to do when you’ve got a week off.”
The United squad spent six days in Marbella during the 16-day gap between matches and Solskjaer has also tweaked pre-match preparations by letting the players stay at home the night before matches, rather than at The Lowry Hotel.
Last year, United spent six days in Dubai and returned to win 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur in what was the first major victory of Solskjaer’s
reign as caretaker manager. They resume their domestic campaign in London again against Chelsea tonight.
“The freshness in their heads, their mentality, the smile, they were glad to see each other again,” Solskjaer said.
“They’d been living together in a hotel for two months, more or less, so in the end we ended up letting the players stay at home for a few nights, the night before a game, two or three of them. So it’s been very beneficial.
“You just need a change of scenery. I wouldn’t say they get sick of each other but, as a team, you know you’re going to stay together for ten-and-a-half months for a season, so maybe it’s nice to have time with your kids or with your wife, instead of your teammates you’ve been tackling all day.”