Tour Briefing: News From Day 9 Of Tour 2017

Your Tour Briefing is a daily update that keeps you informed of the news around Manchester United during the club’s time in the USA. Here’s what you need to know from Tuesday…

1: MATTEO TRAINS AFTER SCARE
Matteo Darmian took part in the afternoon training session at UCLA, after suffering an injury scare in the closing minutes of the 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake. The Italian full-back was a half-time substitute at the Rio Tinto Stadium and went down to ground in the closing stages after a collision. He managed to see out the game and manager Jose Mourinho played down the injury in his post-match press conference, saying it is “not an important one”. Thankfully, the boss was bang on!

2: MATA WATCHES FROM THE SIDE
Although Darmian was able to train, Juan Mata was forced to watch the workout from the side of the pitch after picking up his ankle injury in Utah. The had Spaniard returned to LA with a heavy swelling and it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for the Manchester derby in Houston on Thursday. Speaking about the injury, the boss said: “Mata has a big ankle but I hope it is nothing important.”

3: REVVED UP BY ROSBERG
The players were visited by a sporting champion when reigning Formula 1 king Nico Rosberg attended training. Although the retired German driver is a Bayern Munich fan, he was fascinated to see United in action. “I am here in LA and I heard you guys were training,” he said. “I’m happy to come by and check it out. I’m a big soccer fan. It’s good to meet the players and Jose Mourinho.”

Asked by MUTV’s Stewart Gardner about retiring at the tender age of 31, and whether he misses the adrenaline of motor racing, the former Mercedes world champion was surprisingly honest in his response. “No, I don't miss it, definitely not. I am just getting on with life and exploring. That's why I am on this trip to the US, to see what is out there in the world. For me retirement feels great because I have gone out achieving exactly what I wanted to do. It feels great to me.”

4: MICKI COACHES LOCAL ARMENIANS
Henrikh Mkhitaryan took time out to coach a group of LA-based Armenian children with the Manchester United Soccer Schools coaches – and you will soon be able to see footage of the clinic on MUTV and our social media channels. While there, the former Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund star bumped into NBA star Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks at UCLA.

5: OAKLAND RAIDER DROPS BY
Jalen Richard, running back with the Oakland Raiders, swapped shirts with Chris Smalling and Joel Pereira at the training ground as they completed a series of football and NFL challenges. You can see a picture of their meet and greet on Smalling's official Twitter page.

6: WILSON ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL
Away from Tour 2017, the club’s Reserve and Academy players have completed their own pre-season training camp in Austria and 21-year-old striker James Wilson impressed with his sharpness, as he continues his comeback from injury. Our man Adam Marshall spoke to him following one of the training sessions to get the latest update. “I'm feeling stronger,” Willo said. “I'm doing a lot of work and I'm feeling good. I felt I needed a bit more practice and the keepers were more than happy to help as we've got seven out here.”