Good news for Man United – two top players return to full training

Jose Mourinho should be happy with training this week [COURTESY]

If you were completely blank (in terms of football) and heard about Manchester United today, you’d easily mistake them for a side who survived relegation last season and are on the brink of collapse.

A defeat to 3-2 defeat to Brighton last week has compounded the club to yet another seemingly ‘meh’ season, with fans becoming more convinced that the side is not good enough to ‘rough teams up’ in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho has taken the demeanour of a man who has been taken hostage. He more than happily signed a contract extension with Manchester United last season to keep him there until 2020, not knowing that his ‘terms’ would not be realised the season after.

Jose Mourinho has taken the demeanour of a man who has been taken hostage

As one football fan rightly put it, “The Man United manager is locked in a contest he knows he can’t win. He got the right job at the wrong time. He knows he can’t win and he cannot hide it…”

After Sunday’s defeat, Mourinho was left deflated and even chose not to take a swipe at of his players, as was ‘the Mourinho way’ last season.

“I will be very happy to analyse my players’ performances when they were very good. When I cannot do that, don’t push me to the other side because I will not go to the other side,” said Mourinho.

But this is not the time to sulk, not the time to ponder…Tottenham Hotspurs is next. The Red Devils welcome Mauricio Pochettino’s men to Old Trafford on Monday night and Mourinho is bent on getting his ‘soldiers’, his trusted players ready.

English news outlets on Wednesday evening reported Nemanja Matic and Antonio Valencia had returned to full training with the first time, news that should lure good vibes to the Man United faithful.

Matic and Valencia have returned [COURTESY]

Matic and Valencia suffered slight injuries in pre-season and left the tour early last month but could be fit to help Man United get back to winning ways against Spurs.

Matic’s presence in midfield has been deeply missed – Brazilian Andreas Perreira holding down the fort for the first two games.

Valencia, on the other hand, had a calf problem and only played two games in pre-season.

Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez is also battling hard to be fit in time after he missed the trip to the Amex Stadium last week with a ‘mystery’ problem.