Inside Man Utd’s marginal gains on pre-season tour with stars given special sleep and meal windows & told when to drink
MANCHESTER UNITED are going to extraordinary lengths to ensure they get their players’ best performances on their tour of the USA.
Sir David Brailsford always emphasised the search for marginal gains in his successful time as the head of British cycling.
As United new part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s right hand man, he is bringing that into Old Trafford – even if it is just to offset jet lag from a 12 hour flight from Manchester to Los Angeles.
The team play their first game of the tour on Saturday against Arsenal and have been put on a strict regime to ensure the travel does not affect their performance at the SoFi Stadium, which will be a 70,000 sell-out.
It includes:
- Each player being given a plan with designated sleep and meal windows.
- Bespoke meals have been designed by the performance chef and nutrition team.
- Players have been given a hydration plan to avoid any risk of dehydration and individually tailored compression garments to increase blood circulation.
- Training has been specifically scheduled to support players to shift their body clocks with considerations made around exposure to light at the right time of day.
During his time in charge of British cycling, Brailsford made it clear how important it was to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of being the best.
Back in 2015 he said: “We were precise about food preparation. We brought our own mattresses and pillows so our athletes could sleep in the same posture every night.
“We searched for small improvements everywhere and found countless opportunities.
“Taken together, we felt they gave us a competitive advantage.”
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Ratcliffe and Brailsford have already undergone a full review of how United is run which is leading to 250 redundancies at the club.
They are making major improvements to the training ground, and work is also taking place on Old Trafford, including a new-look tunnel for the players to run out from at the corner of the Sir Bobby Charlton and Stretford End stands.
United are in a panic over their full-back situation with less than a month to go to the start of the new season.
The club have flown out to Los Angeles without Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia.
And while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is there, United are actively trying to sell him.
Shaw and Dalot are having extended breaks after taking part in the Euros.
However, there are concerns over Shaw’s long-term fitness.
Man Utd pre-season tour squad in full
Goalkeepers: Tom Heaton, Demot Mee, Andre Onana, Radek Vitek.
Defenders: Harry Amass, Rhys Bennett, Jonny Evans,Will Fish, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Sam Murray, Aaron Wan-Bissaka,Leny Yoro.
Midfielders: Casemiro, Toby Collyer, Christian Eriksen, Hannibal, Jack Fletcher, Sam Mather, Scott McTominay, Mason Mount, Maxi Oyedele, James Scanlon.
Forwards: Antony, Amad, Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Ethan Wheatley.
Reported injured: Tyrell Malacia
Left out: Joshua Zirkzee, Altay Bayindir, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez, Facundo Pellistri and Luke Shaw.
He played in the latter stages of the Euros for England but that was his first taste of football since February.
Dalot was one of the club’s most consistent performers last season.
And as it stands, he will begin the season on the right with Shaw on the left.
But there is no recognised back-up on either side with the club trying to sell Wan-Bissaka, who is in the final year of his contract.