Erik ten Hag’s intent that Manchester United hit the ground running on their US tour by mitigating against jet lag includes training in Los Angeles at optimum times for his players to receive light, and designated sleep and meal windows.
United arrived in LA, which is eight hours behind the UK, at about 5.30pm on Wednesday. Their opening match is at 5pm local time on Saturday against Arsenal at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.
With training on Thursday and Friday, the physical performance department have implemented a number of measures to try to aid preparation.
Training has been scheduled to support the squad as their body clocks adjust to the time difference, with considerations made around exposure to light at the best time of day. Bespoke meals have been designed by United’s performance chef and nutrition team. Players have also been given a plan with designated sleep and meal windows, a hydration schedule to avoid the risk of dehydration and individually tailored compression garments to increase blood circulation.
The hope is the measures will give the players the optimum platform to adjust quickly to maximise performance. On Wednesday United take a short trip south to face Real Betis at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium, before flying to South Carolina for the final leg, facing Liverpool at Columbia’s Williams-Brice Stadium.
Tyrell Malacia has not travelled to the US as he continues his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury that ruled him out of all of last season. The 24-year-old left-back last played for United in the final game of the previous campaign.
