I was at Carton House as Manchester United trained in front of the media as part of their midseason training camp in the Republic of Ireland.
Manchester United have travelled to Ireland for a four-day training camp following the announcement of a pre-season friendly against Leeds at Croke Park in Dublin.
Michael Carrick and his players are staying at the plush Carton House, located approximately 30 minutes from Dublin in Co. Kildare. There was no shortage of United fans present to greet the team before and after training on Tuesday morning.
Here are five things I noticed from the training session, which was open to members of the media.
Bruno Fernandes greeted by Manchester United fans in Ireland
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Bryan Mbeumo brings more than quality to the team
There is no denying that Bryan Mbeumo has made a big impact since joining United. Despite not scoring in the last six matches, the Cameroon international is the team’s joint-top scorer across all competitions with 10 goals.
Mbeumo’s ability is clear for all to see. It was evident at Carton House that he is also a big personality among his teammates, bringing jokes and good vibes to the training session.
When Harry Maguire struck a perfect volley into a mini-goal, Mbeumo was quick to congratulate the efforts of “H”; on the same day, the experienced centre-back agreed a new contract with the club.
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Kobbie Mainoo had everyone in awe
United started the training session with a short drill that saw the team split into multiple groups.
In the early stages of the session, Kobbie Mainoo controlled the ball with a delicate touch that had everyone in awe, including first-team coach Travis Binnion.
Lisandro Martinez looks ready
Although I cannot claim to have any medical or physiotherapy qualifications, Lisandro Martinez looked like a player who could easily be in contention to play against Leeds next Monday.
Martinez trained with the group and didn’t look out of sorts.
The Argentina international hasn’t played since United’s 1-1 draw against West Ham.
A calf injury ruled him out of five consecutive Premier League matches as a result.
Excited Man Utd fans greet the players
With United in Ireland, hundreds of fans jumped at the opportunity to see their favourite players up close. They began to arrive before 9 am and stood by the entrance of the pitch until the training session finished.
There is a total of 46,800 United season ticket holders in the world, with the vast majority coming from the UK – but Ireland has the most outside of that, with 1,616 season ticket holders registered to Irish addresses.
The team stopped for autographs and photos after the training session.
Some of the younger fans in attendance couldn’t help but let their feelings be known as one shouted, “One more year” towards Casemiro. Another young fan was eager to see Leny Yoro after constantly shouting his name before and during the training session.
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Westlife’s Nicky Byrne among the press pack
The players went on to warm up with light jogging before facing another drill.
There was a familiar face among the press pack.
Westlife’s Nicky Byrne, who had a successful trial at Leeds in 1995 before joining their youth set-up, was in attendance.
Byrne didn’t ask any questions during the press conference, but he did conduct an interview with United’s official app.
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