Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has announced that Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and Marcus Rashford will join the team on Saturday for their pre-season training. The club, which has won the English title 20 times, commenced preparations for the upcoming 2023-24 season by defeating Leeds United 2-0 in Oslo on Wednesday.
Tom Heaton, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, and Jadon Sancho were among the players who started the game for the Red Devils. However, a significant number of first-team players were absent from the squad as they were fulfilling their international duties over the summer.
Notable players such as Fernandes, Casemiro, Rashford, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, and Christian Eriksen are still yet to return for pre-season training due to their international commitments.
After the victory over Leeds, Ten Hag stated that the squad would be reunited on Saturday, although many of them will not participate in the match against Lyon next Wednesday.
“I believe [the international players will be back] on Saturday. Most of those players will also not appear in Edinburgh because they require time and a good week of training,” said Ten Hag in an interview with MUTV.
“They need rest and relaxation since they played a majority of the matches last season. So, we have to gradually reintegrate them, ensuring a careful approach rather than rushing them from 0 to 100.”
Manchester United is planning to travel to the United States with a strong squad for their pre-season tour, where they will face Arsenal, Wrexham, Real Madrid, and Borussia Dortmund.
Subsequently, they will return to Europe to play their final two pre-season matches against Lens and Athletic Bilbao before their Premier League opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 14.
Fred did not participate in Manchester United’s opening pre-season game against Leeds due to the Brazil international managing his workload, according to a statement released on the club’s official website.
Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek were also left behind in Manchester as they continue their recovery from injuries at the club’s Carrington training complex.
In Wednesday’s match, Mason Mount featured in central midfield alongside Hannibal Mejbri and Kobbie Mainoo, while Amad Diallo, who had returned from a successful loan spell at Sunderland, was also included in the starting lineup.
Manchester United is actively working on securing more signings before their pre-season tour in the United States, with ongoing discussions regarding the potential acquisition of Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana.
