Man Utd early team news vs Brighton: Two first-team stars absent in training

Rishabh Gupta | 16/01/2019
Man Utd early team news vs Brighton

Man Utd early team news vs Brighton: Manchester United aim to register their seventh consecutive win against Brighton.

Manchester United have been mighty impressive under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer so far. The side is yet to drop points in the league under Solskjaer, and advanced to fourth round of the FA Cup with a win over Reading.

United registered a 1-0 win over Tottenham at Wembley Stadium, as goalkeeper David De Gea produced an absolute masterclass in the game.

The Spaniard made 11 saves in the second half, while Marcus Rashford’s goal remained the sole difference between both the sides.

The team resumed training for the game against Brighton and Hove Albion earlier today, and there were two noticeable absentees.

Man Utd early team news vs Brighton:

Paul Pogba has been one of the key members of the squad. The midfielder has been brilliant under Solskjaer, registering four goals and four assists in five games in his charge.

He made an incredible cross-the-field assist for Marcus Rashford which gave United the decisive lead against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley last weekend, as he returned from the knock he suffered against Newcastle earlier this month.

However, journalist Simon Peach reported that Pogba, as well as his midfield partner Nemanja Matic were absent in the training session.

While some have doubts over the duo’s fitness, it is widely speculated that their absence is due to their other halves delivering a baby. However, Alexis Sanchez returned to training after missing the Tottenham game due to injury.

Meanwhile, Chris Smalling also remained absent from the squad as they trained at Carrington, while Guiseppe Rossi continues to be the part of the group.

The caretaker manager confirmed Rossi’s involvement in first-team training sessions after the win against Tottenham.

“We’re not going to sign Giuseppe I think, no, but he’s trained well with us,” Solskjaer said in the post-match conference, as quoted by Manchester United’s official website.

Sir Alex Ferguson was also present at Carrington for the training sessions before the game against Tottenham. Solskjaer also revealed how Sir Alex reacted to one of the moments in the training session where Rossi scored with an exquisite finish.

“He looks sharp, he’s looking for a club so Giuseppe is probably going to stay with us for another week, unless someone takes him.

“He scored a fantastic goal yesterday [Saturday] in training. The gaffer [Sir Alex Ferguson] turned around and said ‘what about that son?’” Solskjaer stated.

Post Edited By: Rishabh Gupta
Alexis Sanchez Manchester United Nemanja Matić ole gunnar solskjaer Paul Pogba

About the author

Rishabh Gupta

A sports enthusiast. Sports, I believe, is one of the few powers which help us grow, both as an individual and society. With each day, in the rich world of sports, I grow.

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