All of Manchester United's players, including those who have returned from international duty, are still being put through their paces in training.
As a result of United's defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, they now face the very real prospect of failing to qualify for next season's competition, with Arsenal seeming more likely to finish in the top four.
Before United's return to play against Leicester City on April 2, there is a lot of preparation to be done. In training again on Thursday, the club released images and video footage of the session, which you can see below.
Listed here are five things that MEN Sport noticed...
Rashford maintains his composure
Marcus Rashford has endured a tough few months as his form has deteriorated, he has been limited in playing time as a result, and this has culminated in him losing his position in the England group this week. The striker's absence from Gareth Southgate's squad would be frustrating, but maybe he can look for the silver lining.
To help him prepare for a possible comeback, he now has two weeks of uninterrupted training and recovery. With Champions League qualification on the line, Manchester United need Rashford to return to his best if they are to turn their fortunes around in the near future.
With the way things are going, he's clearly keeping his head above water in training and has already demonstrated some of his abilities. In a small-sided game, Rashford picked up the ball in his own half of the reduced pitch and took out on a sprint. Before scoring the goal, he dribbled his way past four opposing players with a deft touch. More of it, please.
Ralf keeps an eye on things.
With the majority of his squad abroad on international duty, Ralf Rangnick might have been forgiven for taking the week off to give the rest of his players a break while also taking some time off himself. All of the available senior stars, on the other hand, have been put through their paces this week under the cautious eye of interim management.
Rangnick has been scouting his players, with several possible starting XI slots up for grabs based on recent performances, and there will be many of them hoping to make an impression. As he imparted instructions to his teammates, he also delivered a speech to them during the practice.
Young people are still involved.
United's numbers have been significantly reduced this week as the majority of players are away representing their nations, and Rangnick has called on numerous youngsters to help make up for lost playing time. It was intended that by impressing the management enough, they would be promoted to the first team on a permanent basis. The last session saw the participation of Shola Shoretire, Bjorn Hardley, D'Mani Mellor, Dermot Mee, Joe Hugill, Conor Stanley, and Noam Emeran.
Emeran appears to be in good health.
Emeran, a Frenchman who played for Manchester United, was one of the young players that stood out in the footage of the games that United broadcast. He joined United from Amiens in 2019 and, at the age of 19, he has begun to progress through the ranks at the club, making nine appearances for the Under-23s this season, scoring one goal and providing two assists in the process.
It is expected that the attacking midfielder will follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Hannibal into the first team, and he demonstrated his ability when playing with the senior squad. It was one of his best moments when he recovered and calmed himself before pulling off an amazing piece of skill to ghost past his marker and score a goal.
There were times when Emeran lost possession yet he was fast to return the ball to its rightful owner. Perhaps he is yet another promising youngster who we will be seeing more of in the near future.
Paul Woolston and his team of goalkeepers in action
Paul Woolston, the goalkeeper, was present at the session, but he was unable to take part in any of the games since the 23-year-old has stated that he has been forced to end his professional career prematurely at the age of 23. With a major hip injury, the potential shot-hopes stopper's of making it at Old Trafford have been severely curtailed. The talented shot-stopper joined United from Newcastle in 2018.
Although Woolston had made a firm commitment to getting back into shape, which included two operations and a protracted period of rehabilitation, he was forced to tearfully resign earlier this week. In spite of this, he attended the training session and watched as he was given his first taste of coaching by his fellow goalkeepers. A program to assist Woolston with his transition to retirement has already been established by the club, including assistance in obtaining his coaching badges, and Thursday's game was yet another step in that direction.
