There were seven Manchester United players spotted in training on Friday morning after the win against Athletic Club with a game against West Ham around the corner.
Manchester United booked their place in the Europa League final with a dominant 4-1 victory over Athletic Club at Old Trafford, completing a 7-1 aggregate win.
Although the Reds held a 3-0 lead from the first leg, they started slowly and went behind to a brilliant strike from Mikel Jauregizar.
Ruben Amorim made key changes after the break, bringing on Amad, Luke Shaw, and Mason Mount. The impact was immediate—Mount curled in a fine equalizer, Casemiro headed home from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick, and Rasmus Højlund added a third.
Mount then sealed the win with a stunning goal from near midfield, setting up a final against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao later this month.
Seven United players spotted in post-Bilbao training session
On Friday morning, United hosted a livestream of the training session which only included a handful of players after many were in recovery after playing against Athletic Club.
Those who started the game were not involved and neither were Shaw, Mount or Amad. They all came off the bench after around 65 minutes and have recently returned from injuries.
However, Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Amass were both training as usual. The Academy pair came off the bench later on in the game with 10 minutes remaining. They were joined by Christian Eriksen, who was an unused substitute on Thursday night.
All three of them will be expected to start the game against West Ham on the weekend as Amorim looks to give out rest to those who started against Athletic Club.
Meanwhile, Friday’s session also included four other Academy talents, with Chido Obi, Tyler Fredricson, Jaydan Kamason and Bendito Mantato working hard. All four of those players arrived with the squad at Old Trafford on Thursday. Obi is not eligible to play in the Europa League but turned up to get that extra experience around the first-team dressing room.
Due to his impressive performances and the lack of options, Fredricson will likely earn his third start against The Hammers while Obi is expected to come into the side for Hojlund.
Amorim also brought Noussair Mazraoui off against Athletic Club as he is at the physical limit. He has recently been trialing Patrick Dorgu on the right flank but the 20-year-old played 90 minutes on Thursday and cannot be risked for injury.
That leaves another potential starting spot for either Mantato or Kamason, with both players able to play in the wingback position. It would be a professional debut for either of them.
Amorim will need a balance in Premier League games
While there are some complaints about the way United may approach these Premier League games, most United supporters are in agreement that mass-rotation is good.
Not only do people want to see the first-team regulars get needed rest less than 72 hours after that semi-final, but they also want to watch the youngsters in what are essentially meaningless games.
So many bright sparks at Old Trafford in recent years has been down to the youth and it is the perfect chance to see some of them in action. Even if they don’t play brilliantly, these games can be important learning curves for them.
Of course, Amorim also needs to make sure players stay sharp ahead of that game in Bilbao. There certainly needs to be a balance and we will see that in the remaining three Premier League fixtures.
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