Man Utd trained at Carton House on Tuesday morning and the first 15 minutes of the session were open to the media and some invited guests.
Manchester United train at Carton House
Manchester United train at Carton House
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Manchester United staged the first session of their training camp in Ireland on Tuesday morning, with 24 players involved for Michael Carrick's side as they step up preparations for the return of Premier League action.
United are in the midst of a 24-day break without a game and with the Old Trafford showdown with Leeds now in sight, they are spending a few days at Carton House, near Dublin, this week.
A crowd of around 100 United fans gathered outside the plush hotel to cheer the players on as they made their way to the training pitches at a facility previously used by Real Madrid and the England national team.
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The media were invited to watch the first 15 minutes of the session, and this is what we learned:
Martinez returns
All but one of the 25-man squad took part in the full session on the grass on Tuesday, with Patrick Dorgu continuing to follow an individual training programme as he returns from a hamstring injury.
That meant Lisandro Martinez was back in training for the first time since suffering a calf injury and the Argentine looks on track to return to the side against Leeds, which will be a bonus given that Harry Maguire is suspended for that game.
Maguire's mood
Talking of Maguire, this session began just half-an-hour after it was confirmed he had signed a new contract to extend his stay with United into an eighth season.
He was a vocal figure at the start of the session, joking with teammates about the competitive element of the first exercise and showing that dry sense of humour.
At one point he struck a sweet volley into one of the small three-by-three goals, to cries of 'Oh H' from Jonathan Woodgate. 'You like that?' Maguire responded. He was having fun out there.
Binnion brings the energy
It was noticeable that all of the squad had smiles on their faces and were enjoying the session. The first 15 minutes is usually just rondos and a few running drills, but Travis Binnion had devised a game for players split into five groups of four, with one dribbling with the ball, then sending a pass back. The remaining three had to keep it up between them before scoring in the small goal.
Binnion dominated the start of the session, delivering the instructions clearly and crisply, joking with players about it not being a competition and showing why he is so popular with the squad.
At one point, Kobbie Mainoo took a heavy touch from a pass sent back towards him. 'Tackle Kob', shot Binnion, to laughs from some of the other players. He was promoted from the academy set-up in January but is a players' coach and is making an impact with the first team.
Mainoo's touch
That might have been a heavy touch for Mainoo, but there was one delicious piece of control with the side of his foot, feathering the volley to the feet of Noussair Mazraoui.
That earned an 'oh Kobbie' from Binnion. Mainoo's quality was never in doubt to his former academy coach. He was in Maguire's group for this game and with the centre-back's contract now done, it will be Mainoo who is next to sign on the dotted line.
'One more year'
The United fans who had gathered to greet the players had to try and get a glimpse of training through the fence, which had been covered in sheeting to keep out prying eyes.
They still made their voices heard, however. With everything quiet, one young supporter let out a cry of 'Casemiro, one more year'. The Brazilian will definitely have heard it.
Carrick gets stuck in
United have had their share of hands-off bosses on the training ground recently, but Carrick has already shown he is willing to muck in and get his hands dirty. Being out on the grass in training is his favourite part of the job.
He let Binnion deliver the instructions here but as the session moved on to a second drill, it was 44-year-old Carrick who made up the numbers in one group, putting pressure on players as they delivered passes to each other.