Manchester United plan 'intensive training camp' just days before Leeds United clash
Leeds United's next Premier League game sends them to Old Trafford in just over two weeks.
Manchester United will welcome Leeds United to Old Trafford fresh off the back of an ‘intensive’ training camp, according to reports.
Interim head coach Michael Carrick has a three-week break before hosting Leeds in the Premier League on Monday, April 13. All teams are off for two weeks during the March international break with Manchester United not taking part in next weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final ties.
Leeds are involved for the first time in 23 years, with their trip to West Ham providing an opportunity to stay sharp going into the final seven Premier League games. And in a bid to keep his own players firing, Carrick is due to take his squad to the Republic of Ireland for a mid-season camp.
According to the Daily Mail, the Manchester United squad will be given extra time off following the conclusion of this month’s international fixtures, with no FA Cup commitments. They will then head to a camp outside of Dublin between Monday, April 6 and Thursday, April 9.
The squad are set to through a series of ‘intense sessions’ during the camp, which is due to end four days before Leeds head to Old Trafford for the first of seven remaining Premier League games. Both sides have everything to play for at either end of the table and will be desperate to earn bragging rights over a rival.
Leeds and Manchester United both have a large chunk of their squad missing at present, with Carrick losing 14 players to international duty while Daniel Farke is without 12. The latter will welcome his stars back much sooner, thanks to their FA Cup quarter-final tie.
Drama followed Leeds United’s mast Man Utd meeting
A trip to Leeds signalled the end of the line for Manchester United’s last manager, with Ruben Amorim sacked less than 24 hours after a 1-1 draw at Elland Road. Brenden Aaronson and Matheus Cunha were on the scoresheet for either side in a game that rarely burst into life.
But Amorim’s press conference was another matter entirely, with the Portuguese coach seemingly hitting out at his Old Trafford bosses, namely sporting director and former Leeds player Jason Wilcox. He was sent packing by Manchester United the following day.
Carrick took over on an interim basis until the end of the season and has improved the Manchester club, who are now widely expected to qualify for the Champions League. Leeds will be aiming to dent those European hopes and add a point or three to their survival tally.
Leeds entered the March international break in 15th, with 33 points from 31 games. The Whites are four clear of West Ham in the final relegation place and have just six games to maintain that gap, which would see them mathematically safe ahead of a final-day trip to the London Stadium.