Manchester United youngster shares delight at making return in pre-season training

Manchester United's FA Youth Cup-winning captain Rhys Bennett has hinted at just how happy he is to be back in training after a frustrating first six months of 2023.

The centre-back, who grew up in Denton, was just one of a plethora of youngsters who were photographed taking part in Thursday's first-team training session at Carrington. United are using the start of pre-season as an opportunity for the club's young players to rub shoulders with their most senior figures.

Bennett was joined by the likes of Will Fish, Alvaro Fernandez, Charlie Savage and Isak Hansen-Aaroen during the session, meaning they will have all been hoping to try and catch Erik ten Hag's eye. While the majority of the youngsters involved have either been playing at youth level or out on loan during the first half of 2023, Bennett has been assigned to the treatment table.

The centre-back, who played a key role in United's FA Youth Cup triumph in 2021/22, has been out injured since the beginning of January, playing only once this calendar year so far. He last played on January 6, featuring for the Reds' Under-21s in a 2-1 win at Fulham.

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Bennett was one of several youngsters that were invited on United's mid-season trip to Spain last December during the World Cup break. He featured in the second of the two games United played during the trip, stepping off the bench in the 1-0 defeat to Real Betis.

He was then named on the bench when United beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 in their first Premier League game after the World Cup break. Since then,