Erik Ten Hag having his way at Old Trafford; Signs of hope for United

The Reds will play two friendlies, away to La Liga teams Cadiz and Real Betis, to prepare for the start of the domestic season.

Thirteen members of Erik ten Hag’s first team for this season won’t be going to Andalusia, as they have been involved in the FIFA World Cup for their respective countries.

However, the travelling group still includes a sizable number of seasoned Reds and some promising young players who will profit from spending a week away from Manchester in December training together in warmer climates.

The United team will return to Carrington after spending a week in Spain to continue practising for their upcoming competitive match against Burnley in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, December 21, at Old Trafford. Anyone with Manchester United tickets will undoubtedly be excited to see the Red Devils back in action.

Six days later, on Tuesday, December 27, Nottingham Forest come to Old Trafford for M16 to continue the Premier League season. The final match of this year will take place on New Year’s Eve away at Molineux against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Brandon Williams, who have battled their way back to health, were welcome additions to the team. Axel Tuanzebe, who stays at Carrington to continue his personal training programme as he recovers from injury, was one among the absentees.

In an effort to return to his peak performance, Jadon Sancho is maintaining his personal training regimen and will not join the club’s trip to Spain. He has the full backing of the club in this.

 Sancho takes a break from social media

After blacking out his Instagram profile and erasing all of his postings, Jadon Sancho sparked uncertainty. The forward was notably missing from the English squad after Gareth Southgate brushed him off for a berth in England’s World Cup team earlier this year, a rather unsavoury sight for anyone with Manchester United tickets.

Though he hasn’t given a reason for doing so, it’s believed that Sancho is taking a break from social media to devote his attention to his family and the next Premier League season.

The 22-year-old, who just recently signed with the Manchester club for a staggering £73 million, has battled with form since moving to England, and his last Three Lions game was in September of last year.

Marcus Rashford, another member of Sancho’s club, battled with his form and confidence last season and was left out of England’s selections during the previous year. He is now in Qatar with Southgate’s 26-man squad, albeit having won his spot back.

Sancho began this campaign at United under the leadership of the club’s new manager, Erik ten Hag, but has since been benched in favour of Antony in the starting line-up. He was injured and missed United’s final four games before the break.

Sancho won’t be flying with Manchester United as they depart for a training camp in a warm climate.

According to a statement on United’s website: “In an effort to return to his peak performance, Jadon Sancho is continuing his personal training regimen. He has the unwavering support of the club in this.”

The winger is attempting to resurrect his career during the midseason break after his problems this year prevented him from earning a berth in the England World Cup team.

Since then, the teenage striker has been seen practising at Dutch amateur club OJC Rosmalen, who tweeted to confirm the presence of the United star. The Athletic had earlier stated that Sancho was training under a Dutch trainer that Ten Hag “recommended”.

 United at the FIFA World Cup

 Tyrrell Malacia’s Netherlands qualified for the quarterfinals of the World Cup on the back of a 2-0 win against the United States. They will face Argentina in a bid to make it to the final 4. Potential Man United target Cody Gakpo has been fantastic and regularly involved in goal contributions alongside former United man Memphis Depay.

Club captain Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and forward Marcus Rashford took England one step closer to glory perhaps, which will be England’s toughest test in the tournament if they are to go all the way. The three lions are to face a red-hot France in the quarterfinals. Anyone with Manchester United tickets will be looking at this fixture, as it will also feature club favourite Raphael Varane in action.

France have performed rather deliciously up top, with Kylian Mbappe breezing past opponent backlines. United’s Varane has been instrumental in ensuring the French backline has lived up to its hefty standards, bar that one game versus Tunisia in the group stage.

Lisandro Martinez has been excellent. The youngster’s block denying Australia’s Aziz Behich a well-deserved goal is still doing the rounds on social media. Martinez has been up to the task whenever called up for action.

Christian Eriksen and Hannibal Mjebri met in the same group and since have crashed out in a rather unsavoury fashion. Neither Denmark nor Tunisia looked established in their performances bar that Tunisian shock win versus reigning champions France.

Brazil are on a roll. Club man Casemiro has been fantastic for the country, and Antony and Fred have been used as subs per the requirement and have done reasonably well in their outings. Unfortunately, Alex Telles had to be withdrawn after sustaining an injury in the game vs Cameroon.

Bruno Fernandes, by far, has been Portugal’s best player at the tournament. His absence was visible in the Portuguese team’s loss to South Korea, and Diogo Dalot did net in an assist in the same game.

Transfer Watch

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed in his exclusive Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside that Manchester United are still interested in signing Dortmund wonderkid Jude Bellingham, despite English media rumours to the contrary. However, the English team is conscious that they fall short of Manchester City and Liverpool in the race to sign Bellingham.

Thomas Meunier is now a target for Manchester United, according to reports. Erik Ten Hag’s right-back position only has Diogo Dalot as a realistic alternative; thus, the Dutch manager would look for an experienced player like Meunier during the winter transfer window.

Josko Gvardiol, a defender for RB Leipzig, is being closely watched by Manchester United, according to Florian Plettenberg. Although the 20-year-old’s contract with Germany expires in 2027, the Red Devils will continue aggressively pursuing the young player’s signature.

In exciting news for fans with Manchester United tickets, according to the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils are presently the favourites to sign Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer. The contract of the seasoned goalkeeper of Borussia Monchengladbach expires in 2023, and Sommer is told to be willing to leave Germany to sign with Manchester United.

Due to Sommer’s profile and the Dutch manager’s preferred playing style, Erik Ten Hag may consider replacing an ageing De Gea with Sommer.

The Mirror claims Manchester United will have to pay £50 million to capture Dutch forward Cody Gakpo. Before the Qatar tournament, the youthful athlete had 13 goals and 17 assists. Gakpo has excelled for his national squad and the Dutch team, leading them to the quarterfinals with his electrifying performances.

Gakpo might be a great addition to Ten Hag’s forward battery since the Red Devils lack options in attack now that Ronaldo’s contract has been terminated.

United up for sale

The Glazer family’s 17-year ownership of Manchester United may end now that it has declared it is “commencing a process to examine strategic options.” Many with Manchester United Tickets will be delighted with the news.

A statement from United on Tuesday night outlined efforts to find new investment that might result in a potential sale. The club stated that a range of possibilities, “including additional investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the firm,” will be taken into account during the process run by its American owners.

The Raine Group has been chosen as the sole financial advisor. The Raine Group oversaw the sale of Chelsea earlier this year.

With club football returning to action, Manchester United tickets are in high demand. Official retailers might not be your ideal option, but trusted reseller sites could help you reliably source Manchester United tickets.