Manchester United’s hotly anticipated open training session took place at the WACA Ground today as preseason preparations continued for new manager Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils touched down in Perth on Wednesday night having played a couple of fixtures in Melbourne. They take on Aston Villa at Optus Stadium on Saturday.
The big news leading into the visit was the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo but there were still plenty of household names on show, including David De Gea, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Fred.
Captain Harry Maguire was the subject of some boos at the MCG when United took on Crystal Palace this week but it was the opposite today as fans cheered his named and clapped enthusiastically when he waved at them.
The session began later than the scheduled 10am with an estimated 5000 spectators in the stands, many of whom were afforded the day off school by their parents.
The rain came pouring down as Ten Hag and his coaching team, which includes Steve McClaren and Darren Fletcher, put the players through a good warm up before splitting up for some passing drills.
After that, it was into an overload game with a clear emphasis on pressing high and winning the ball back as quickly as possible. Fernandes looked particularly sharp moving the ball in tight spaces, while Anthony Martial has a spring in his step having scored goals in the friendlies to date.
The goalkeepers were brought into the mix, with Dea Gea and Tom Heaton at either end, and what looked like the main team was made up of outfield players Diogo Dalot, Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Fred, Donny Van de Beek, Fernandes, Martial, Rashford and Sancho.
There were some neat finishes from Martial, while Rashford played target man at times and Fernandes showed his class with a very easy on the eye dummy to set up a goal.
The younger members of the squad then departed, leaving the senior group to work together on a bigger pitch away from where the fans were congregated.
There were breaks in the bad weather but when it rained, it poured, and after about 90 minutes of action, many fans decided they had seen enough and headed for home.
Those who stayed were left disappointed as very few United players came over to sign autographs or pose for photographs, a stark contract to how Leeds United had interacted at Fremantle Oval the night before and Crystal Palace at Dorrien Gardens.
Ten Hag and McClaren did their fair share, while Fernandes, De Gea, Fred, Dalot and Maguire made very brief appearances once they had completed duties with some kids but most of the players disappeared without so much as a wave.
On a brighter note, Danny Hodgson was in attendance and watched some of the training session from the sideline, accompanied by his partner and family members. The 26-year-old is still recovering from the one punch attacked suffered in Perth’s CBD last September which left him fighting for his life and unable to walk.
Hodgson is now able to get back on his feet and he spoke to the media before being introduced to some of the United players.
United will train again in Perth tomorrow before taking on Aston Villa at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, the final game of their tour Down Under.
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