Manchester United's pre-season preparations are officially up and running.
Several members of the squad reported back to the club's Carrington training base earlier this week to start work on their preparations ahead of the forthcoming campaign. Those that have not yet returned to the training ground have been granted an extended summer break after being in international action in June and will return later this month.
After a successful maiden campaign under manager Erik ten Hag's stewardship, the Reds will be hoping to kick-on in 2023/24 and build on the success they achieved last season. United will open their pre-season account with a trip to Oslo next Wednesday to take on Leeds United.
That will mark the first of seven friendlies that the first-team are scheduled to fulfil ahead of the Premier League opener against Wolves on August 14. The clash with Leeds could also mark new signing Mason Mount's first outing in United colours after he joined the club earlier this week.
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READ MORE: Mason Mount's first United training session in pictures
Mount finalised his switch to Old Trafford on Wednesday and wasted no time in pulling up his sleeves and cracking straight on with pre-season preparations. With that said, MEN Sport has taken a close look at five things that we spotted during Thursday's training session at Carrington.
The introduction
Before the session got under way, Ten Hag got his players together to address them and no doubt run through his plans for the session and the season ahead. The specifics of the conversation, of course, will remain a secret, but the Dutchman made everyone gather around him as he made his address.
Ten Hag is, of course, now into his second pre-season as United manager and will have a far better understanding of every member of his squad than he did 12 months ago. He will be hoping to maximise their upcoming friendlies to whip his squad into shape.
Mount makes new friends
Just 24 hours after being unveiled as a United player, Mount participated in his first training session as a United player. Sporting a training top with No.7 printed on the front, the former Chelsea midfielder wasted no time aiming to impress Ten Hag and his coaching team.
Mount was pictured doing plenty of ball work, featuring participating in a rondo drill and some finishing. There was even time for him to pose for a picture with Lisandro Martinez, who he was pictured appearing to spend a lot of time with during the session.
Double injury boost
The sight of Martinez being back in training is a huge boost for everyone associated with United ahead of the start of the club's pre-season schedule. The Argentine's maiden season at Old Trafford came to a sudden halt back in April after he suffered a metatarsal fracture during the 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the Europa League.
He returned to Carrington early to work on his recovery and the fact that he is already training with the main group is a hugely promising sign. Donny van de Beek was also spotted training with the rest of the group, suggesting that his recovery from a serious knee injury is also progressing nicely.
Youngsters galore
As is often the case at any club in pre-season, the first-team training session was littered with youngsters. Ten Hag is not afraid to promote from within and it is possible that a handful of the club's younger players could be invited on the upcoming pre-season tour.
Among those pictured participating in Thursday's training session were Will Fish, Rhys Bennett, Marc Jurado, Joe Hugill, Shola Shoretire, Toby Collyer, Alvaro Fernandez, Isak Hansen-Aaroen, Charlie Savage, Hannibal Mejbri, Maxi Oyedele, Kobbie Mainoo and Amad.
Some are closer to challenging for a place in the first-team squad than others, but now is the perfect time for some of them to get the chance to try and catch Ten Hag's eye. They will also gain valuable experience from training alongside some of the club's most senior stars.
The goalkeepers' union
A total of five goalkeepers, including Dean Henderson, were pictured taking part in the session. Henderson reported back to Carrington last week to continue recovering from an injury he suffered on loan at Nottingham Forest last season.
Henderson was joined on the Carrington grass by fellow shot-stoppers Tom Heaton, Nathan Bishop, Matej Kovar and Radek Vitek. David de Gea has, of course, left the club, despite United remaining in talks over the prospect of a new deal.
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