Two Manchester United stars trained with youngsters despite having week off

Manchester United’s non-international players were given an extended break from football this week during the final international break of the calendar year.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision to grant his players a week-long rest is said to have surprised some figures in the dressing-room, with the manager also returning home to Norway.

That’s according to The Athletic, who have compiled a report of some of the behind-the-scenes exchanges during a mellow week at Manchester United’s training ground.

As per the report, Solskjaer values letting his players return to full fitness and not overwork them in an already packed schedule, with the relentless run of fixtures since July 2020 cited as one of the reasons.

Furthermore, despite being granted time away from the training ground, Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood reported into training on Wednesday this week and took part in training sessions with a selection of U18 and U23 players.

Hannibal Mejbri, Charlie McNeill, and Charlie Wellens are said to have been among the group of players training with United’s star academy graduate duo.

Rashford reportedly reported into Carrington on several occasions, with Greenwood doing the same. Injured star Raphael Varane was also at the training ground as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Read more: Real Madrid monitoring Manchester United midfielder for potential transfer

SN’s verdict on Manchester United’s eager duo…
Rashford has only recently recovered from a serious shoulder injury and despite his brilliant start to the season, evidently remains motivated to improve as he enters a crucial period in his career.

Rashford celebrated his 24th birthday at the end of last month and will be desperate to reach the 20-goal mark for the third consecutive season, having done so in both of Solskjaer’s full seasons so far.

In Greenwood’s case, some supporters will be happily surprised to learn that he’s spending his free time working on his trade. The 20-year-old has been criticised for his attitude in the past but there is no proof to back that argument up.

There is an argument to say that after such a poor performance against Manchester City, all players should be at the training ground working to make sure it doesn’t happen again. That is, however, a one-sided view with very little perspective.

The current workload on the players is at an all-time high and time away from that testing environment could very well prove to be a positive.

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