Man Utd aces must remain in hotel ‘bubble’ ahead of Europa semi and use daily walk to visit Podolski’s ice cream parlour
MANCHESTER UNITED stars might be living in a Cologne “bubble” as they plot Europa League glory but that hasn’t stopped them from a trip to Lukas Podolski’s ice cream parlour.
Uefa’s secondary competition is being played out in Germany, with all ties being decided over one leg in a similar manner to the Champions League.
United were hoping to be able to fly in and out of Cologne on matchdays, given it is only an hour from Manchester, but Uefa protocol requires them to stay in the city.
This means that should they win the competition, they’ll have been holed up in their Cologne hotel for 13 days – with Goal reporting some unusual rules being in place in order to ensure safety to all involved.
United stars are only allowed to leave their four-star hotel once a day – as players largely remain cooped up in their two allocated floors – and members of the public remaining separate.
Some players have made the best of the odd situation, however, with Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Lee Grant having used their daily trip outside to visit ex-Arsenal winger Podolski’s ice cream parlour.
The former Germany international has a string of business across his homeland including kebab shops and clothing stores.
STRICT RULES
While United’s heroes may crave tasty treats, their regulated meals are all served within their two floors of the hotel – with even the restaurant off limits.
Hotel staff aren’t permitted to touch their things, with even their laundry having to be done by the club.
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Players are being kept entertained by a “games room”, with PlayStations set up – as well as ping-pong tables and even a basketball arcade machine.
And they have been able to use an allocated outdoor bar area in order to mix things up.
Training has taken place at Sportpark Hohenberg, the home of local third-tier side Viktoria Koln.
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Speaking ahead of their upcoming semi-final with Sevilla, boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told MUTV: “They like each other’s company; they have fun in-between the sessions.
“We just have to make the most out of a difficult situation, with the weather as well, because it’s so warm.”
United face Julen Lopetegui’s side on Sunday, with the winner set to take on Inter Milan or Shakhtar Donetsk in the final on Friday.