Three things spotted in Manchester United training ahead of Leeds clash

Manchester United travel to Elland Road on Sunday afternoon to take on Leeds United in the Premier League.

The two sides met on the opening day of the season where the Red Devils ran out 5-1 winners at Old Trafford - Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick that day.

United have momentum coming into the game following their 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday evening, while the Whites have struggled recently and are without a victory in three league matches.

Ahead of the clash the Red Devils released footage of their preparations for Sunday, with some noticeable absentees spotted in training.

With that being said, let’s take a look at three things spotted in United training on Thursday.

Duo could return

Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane could return for the Leeds fixture after both men took part in training on Thursday.

The pair missed the game against Brighton due to the former having a groin injury and the latter falling ill before kick-off.

However, it now seems as if Cavani and Varane have brushed their problems aside and could be in the Red Devils’ matchday squad on Sunday.

Matic out

One player who wasn’t spotted in Thursday’s training images was Nemanja Matic. The Serbian has missed United’s last few fixtures due to a shin problem and looks likely to miss the clash with the Whites on Sunday.

His last involvement in a matchday squad was against Burnley when the midfielder was named on the bench.

Bailly status unknown

An interesting topic of discussion coming out of the Red Devils training images is Eric Bailly’s fitness status.

The centre-back was spotted taking part in training on Thursday and looked to be running comfortably following an ankle injury suffered while on international duty with Ivory Coast at the African Cup of Nations.

The latest on the quartet’s fitness and availability for the Leeds fixture will likely be a topic of discussion in Ralf Rangnick’s press conference at 1.30pm on Friday. Follow ManchesterWorld for the latest team news this afternoon and for full coverage from Sunday’s game.