Manchester United's players looked in high spirits at training at Carrington on Thursday afternoon.
United couldn't break the deadlock against Watford at the weekend, with that game ending in a 0-0 draw. It was a disappointing result against relegation candidates and United will be hoping to bounce back in the Manchester derby on Sunday.
Ralf Rangnick's side have enjoyed a full week of training under the belts heading into that match versus Manchester City at the Etihad, unlike their opponents, who played in the FA Cup on Tuesday night. United will be wary of dropping more points as the race for the final Champions League place intensifies in the latter stages of the season, albeit City will prove incredibly tricky opposition.
ALSO READ: The Cristiano Ronaldo truth Manchester United must accept to get better.
Ahead of the Manchester derby, here are a few things we spotted from United's latest training session on Thursday at Carrington.
McTominay's return
While Scott McTominay was forced to miss United's matches against Atletico Madrid and Watford through illness, he's in contention to start on Sunday against City after making a full return to training earlier this week.
McTominay has kept his place as a regular starter at United following Rangnick's interim appointment and the midfielder has made the starting 11 in all but two Premier League games in which he's been available for this season.
McTominay scored United's last goal before the pandemic put a halt to football against City in March 2020.
Ronaldo chats with Sancho
Jadon Sancho recently admitted he feels 'blessed' to share a dressing room with Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, and he was pictured sharing a conversation with the latter on Thursday in training — both players appeared in jovial moods.
"I'm definitely learning from them, on and off the pitch," Sancho said. "Especially in terms of their recovery and how they make themselves better. I'm taking in all the information I can and trying to put it into my game."
Sancho will only continue to absorb information from Ronaldo, for as long as he remains at the club.
Maguire's celebration
United have endured a tumultuous season and Harry Maguire has had one of the most challenging campaigns of his career.
Maguire's credentials to captain the club have regularly been brought into question and his performances have often been below the standards he's capable of producing.
The 28-year-old was named on the bench against Watford at the weekend, but he could return to the starting line-up in the Manchester derby and he looked to be enjoying himself in training on Thursday.
Maguire was captured throwing himself into tackles and he took pleasure out of dispossessing Paul Pogba in one particular moment.
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
Catch up on all the latest United headlines in our United section
