Manchester United are now unbeaten in their last eight games and the Red Devils are just three points behind third-placed Tottenham Hotspur with one game remaining.
Erik ten Hag finally got United on the front foot and transformed the fortunes of many players who weren’t good enough under previous regimes.
training plans
The Dutch coach will try to win the remaining four games before the players leave for the World Cup. Matches include a Europa League match against Real Sociedad, as well as an EFL Cup tie against Aston Villa.
???????? The Reds will face Cádiz from La Liga during our winter break in December! ????#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 31, 2022
Ten Hag is likely to give more minutes to fringe players in those two games and more could be in the future as well.
The club announced that players who will not travel with their respective national teams for the World Cup will undertake a week-long training camp in Spain and that includes two friendly matches.
One has already been confirmed to be against Cadiz on December 7 and the opposition for the other game has yet to be announced.
A good number of high-level players will also be part of the winter camp after their national teams did not call them up.
Big name players like David de Gea, Donny van de Beek are likely to be there along with a bunch of academy hopefuls.
The former Ajax boss hinted that preparing the remaining players for the rest of the season was the main goal behind the decision. And that includes maintaining peak fitness levels and being ready when called upon.
Fringe stars will have a chance to impress
Two high-quality opponents will be just what the doctor ordered to keep players on their toes and for the boss to make a decision on which player could be sent in January on a temporary or permanent basis.
“We have to train them for those six weeks and we have to give them the right program so that they stay at the right fitness levels but also stay in the right shape and also in the team style.
“We made a program to do that, as optimal as possible. So, we will train here. [at Carrington] for a week, or eight or nine days, and then we’ll have a short break. Then we will train and go to Spain for a one week training camp.
“There, we can train properly. We have good opponents there, so we can also practice the game. Then we will come back, ready for the second stage of the season, I would say, but a long stage, longer than usual,” Ten Hag told the club’s media.
