Five things spotted in Manchester United training as potential Ruben Amorim stress signal emerges

Manchester United have the challenge of securing a positive result against Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16 on Thursday night. United crashed out of the FA Cup last weekend, meaning the Europa League is their only chance of winning a trophy this season.

United would gain entry to next season's Champions League if they win the competition and that could be crucial as they are unlikely to qualify for Europe via league position.

Failing to qualify for Europe in 2025/2026 would significantly reduce broadcast revenue and have an impact on which players Ruben Amorim could sign in the summer transfer window.

United trained at Carrington on Wednesday morning ahead of flying to Spain and the first-team group seemed in good spirits as the final touches for their preparation were made.

Here are some of the highlights from the session...

Amorim was one of the first to appear onto the training pitch on Wednesday morning and he chatted with his coaches before moving away from his players as they took part in two separate rondos.

It felt relatively interesting that Amorim stood 200 yards away from his players and kicked a ball at his feet on his own. United's head coach milled about in total isolation and he will have plenty on his mind ahead of a hugely important clash against Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

Although rondos aren't exactly informative for a coach, the journalists in attendance quickly noticed that Amorim chose to stand away and adopt a hands-off approach as they warmed up.

Chido Obi will not travel to Spain because he was not registered in the Europa League, but the youngster took part in the session and he is among the tallest players in the squad.

The 17-year-old still needs to