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Man Utd return to pre-season training – Lukaku back but no sign of Pogba or new signings
MANCHESTER UNITED have returned to pre-season training, although there was no sign of several key squad members at Carrington this morning.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his squad have been spotted arriving for the first day of pre-season training ahead of the 2019/20 season.
The Manchester United manager was up bright and early to beat his players to Carrington this morning as he looks to oversee a return to form at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils endured a nightmare end to the 2018/19 campaign, winning just two of their final 13 matches across all competitions, so Solskjaer will be looking to avoid a similar run in August.
United are set to undertake a pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East midway through July, facing off against Perth Glory, Leeds United, Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur.
They will then return to Cardiff to face AC Milan before heading back north in preparation for their opening match of the Premier League season against Chelsea on August 11.
Solskajer will want to get his squad in shape before flying halfway around the world, with United easily the top flight side covering the most miles in pre-season.
The Norwegian is looking to get the majority of his business done early so any new players can gel with the rest of the team while away on tour.
And so far United have captured former Swansea winger Daniel James for £15million and secured the services of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50m.
Neither signing was spotted arriving at Carrington for the first day of training with their new teammates, although a couple of other high-profile players were also absent.
Alexis Sanchez is still with Chile at the Copa America, having scored the winning penalty to see off Colombia in the quarter-final shootout, while Paul Pogba was nowhere to be seen either.
However, Romelu Lukaku was photographed pulling into the complex despite being heavily linked with a move to Inter Milan during the transfer window.
Marcos Rojo was also seen reporting for duty despite uncertainty over his future while Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Luke Shaw all showed their faces.
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Reserve goalkeeper Sergio Romero flashed a thumbs up at the camera but David de Gea was not spotted as speculation about his contract status continues to bubble away.
Andreas Pereira and Joel Pereira shared a lift while Mata was accompanied by his partner Evelina Kamph in their Volvo.
Anthony Martial and Eric Bailly were also seen splitting the cost of petrol, with fans sure to be happy about the centre-back nearing a return to action after a nasty knee injury.
Fred and Victor Lindelof were both seen arriving for pre-season while Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Diogo Dalot completed the roster of players present.