The reasons as to why Kobbie Mainoo and Ayden Heaven were not involved in Manchester United training on Friday morning have been given.
Rúben Amorim’s side are set for a tough run of fixtures after the international break, while several Manchester United players have had the opportunity to rest and recover.
While Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Højlund, and Matthijs de Ligt represented their countries, others, like Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee, remained in Manchester and used the break to focus on fitness and recovery.
United returned to full squad training on Friday morning, although some, such as Manuel Ugarte, Noussair Mazraoui, and Victor Lindelöf, were not spotted as they played for their respective national sides on Tuesday evening.
The Reds face a demanding schedule, starting with an away trip to Nottingham Forest on 1 April, followed by a Manchester Derby later that week and a Europa League quarter-final against Olympique Lyonnais over two legs.
Why Heaven and Mainoo were not in training
While a number of Reds took part in Friday morning’s open training session, two who were not spotted with the group were teenage talents Kobbie Mainoo and Ayden Heaven.
The England midfielder has not played for United since 7 February during a 2-1 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup, while Heaven sustained an ankle injury against the same opposition in the Premier League two weeks ago.
However, a fresh update from Sky Sports has confirmed positive updates on both players. While Mainoo was not with the first-team group, they report that the player has now returned to individual training on grass but is not yet ready to resume training with the group.
With respect to Heaven, there were initial fears that the teenager would be out for a number of months after he was stretched off against Leicester with what looked to be a horrid ankle injury.
However, Sky have confirmed that the player is excepted to be out for a few weeks rather than a few months as he continues his rehabilitation.
Other positive news from training on Friday
Beyond the updates to Mainoo and Heaven, Amorim also saw five other first-team players return to training.
Centre-back duo Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro were both spotted back with the group for the first time in a few weeks and may be available to face Forest on Tuesday evening.
United also saw the return of Luke Shaw, who has not started for the club in 13 months, which gives Amorim a much-needed boost in defence following a string of injuries.
Finally, goalkeepers Altay Bayındır and Tom Heaton were also both spotted back in training, with the former having been out for around two months.
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