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Man Utd undergo unfamiliar prep for PSG tie – one player refuses to speak to team-mates
MANCHESTER UNITED were spotted enjoying a casual stroll around Lancashire Cricket Club ahead of their Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Manchester United have altered their pre-match routine in order to avoid unnecessary delays ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have checked into the hotel at Lancashire Cricket Club’s Old Trafford ground after traffic delays affected their preparation for matches earlier this season.
United were late arriving for their group stage games against Valencia and Juventus, having previously gathered at the Lowry Hotel in the city centre.
Major roadworks ensured that the squad reached Old Trafford just 50 minutes before their meeting with the Serie A side, causing former manager Jose Mourinho to hop off the bus and walk to the ground alongside fans.
The Red Devils are now staying just yards down the road from their own Old Trafford stadium, with the journey having come down from 2.4 miles to just 1.6 miles.
Solskjaer and his side have little reason to be late again and the players all appeared relaxed as they stretched their legs on the outfield this afternoon.
The majority of the squad and several members of the coaching staff were spotted chatting away as they took a turn around the famous cricket venue.
Paul Pogba was seen strolling along next to Michael Carrick, with the World Cup winner expected to play a big role in stopping the Ligue 1 giants later this evening.
Both Jesse Lingard and Sergio Romero were pictured on their phones as the Red Devils ambled over the grass while Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez chatted.
Goalkeeper coach Emiliano Alvarez caught up with David De Gea and Juan Mata for a quick word, but Ashley Young definitely did not look like talking.
The veteran defender, who signed a contract extension with the club this week, was walking on his own and looked in the zone wearing earphones.
Young is expected to start against PSG but will be relieved to see Neymar will not feature after the Brazilian was ruled out with a broken metatarsal.
Thomas Muenier and Edinson Cavani are also sidelined with injury problems so Kylian Mbappe is expected to lead the line on his own.
When asked if Neymar’s absence was comparable to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo missing for Barcelona and Juventus, manager Thomas Tuchel said: “Let me put it another way, will Manchester United miss Pogba if he was not there tomorrow, or [Marcus] Rashford?
“Of course they will, you cannot replace quality players like this.
“Neymar is one of the key players in Europe and we miss him a lot and now we miss a second key player with Edinson.”