United Under-23s primed for Stoke challenge
Manchester United Under-23s return to action tonight, travelling to Stoke City's Bet365 Stadium for our first Premier League 2 game since last month's training camp in Portugal. The clash kicks off at 19:00 GMT and will be shown exclusively live on MUTV.
Neil Wood's side had been due to face Swansea City at home on 14 February after warming up, literally, in the Algarve, but that fixture was postponed due to illness in the Welsh club's camp.
The Under-23s had been joined on the training trip by several members of the Under-18s squad, in advance of their promotion during the close season. This had the desired effect of helping to integrate the younger players into Wood's set-up but there will be a hope of more immediate benefits with the league run-in now very much on the horizon.
“There have been ups and downs along the way. You have some good times and some battles but the players have improved, overall and individually, smashing through the targets they previously had. They are really pushing themselves as individuals and that helps team performance. If everyone is doing the right thing and the right jobs, the team will look better for it.”
“I don’t really think about the league so much,” he admitted. “It’s about every single match and making sure we give 100 per cent effort and play the right way with the right attitude. We must sacrifice everything for the team and, after that, the result takes care of itself.
“We make sure we prepare them well and, if you put maximum effort into training, you win games. It’s a case of making sure you carry on what you have been doing all week in training.”
First-team squad members Axel Tuanzebe and Tim Fosu-Mensah are set for a run-out at Stoke tonight, after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed last week that he expects them to step up their fitness in the Under-23s.
The match may also mark a league comeback for keeper Matej Kovar, who has regained full fitness after a knee injury and performed well in the friendly against Club Brugge.
“I’ve been injured for four weeks so it has been a bit hard, to be fair, but I’ve started getting into training again,” he told us at the team’s hotel in the Algarve.
Aidan Barlow, who scored in the recent games with Norwich and Benfica, is enjoying being back in the fold. Following a loan move at Tromso, the experience of the senior game has clearly benefited the attacking midfielder.
"I've noticed I actually learned a lot from playing against men in Norway and gained experience from it," he told us.
"I've got to take that ownership with the younger players coming up and guide them through it as they are new to things and, at times, might struggle in games like the one against Benfica. But it's the only way they are going to learn from it."
Barlow and co head into this evening's game only three points adrift of West Ham United, the unbeaten leaders in the division. Only the top side is guaranteed promotion to Premier League 2's top tier.
Stoke U23s v United U23s is live on MUTV tonight, with kick-off at 19:00 GMT.