Liverpool plane banner mocks Manchester United during pre-season training

United face Perth Glory in their first pre-season friendly on Saturday before taking on Leeds next week

Simon Peach
Perth
Thursday 11 July 2019 12:11 BST
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Plane trolls Manchester United's players during training session

Manchester United were given a reminder of Liverpool's recent Champions League victory as a plane carrying a banner flew above them ahead of an open training session at the WACA Ground in Perth on Thursday.

Liverpool added a sixth European crown to their collection when they beat Tottenham in the final last month and some were not willing to let fierce rivals United forget in a hurry.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were preparing to begin a public training session when the banner, which read "Liverpool FC - 6x European champions" was seen overhead.

United face Perth Glory in their first pre-season friendly on Saturday before taking on Leeds next week.

After a dreadful end to the season last term, the summer break has been played out to a background of fan disillusionment and questions over the future of the club's biggest names.

David De Gea, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez have all been the subject of speculation, but it is club-record signing Paul Pogba that has dominated the agenda after publicly declaring he was ready for "a new challenge somewhere else".

Agent Mino Raiola has compounded matters by reaffirming his client's desire to leave Old Trafford for a second time, saying he was "in the process" of arranging a move for the man United made the most expensive player in history in 2016.

Solskjaer refrained from criticising Pogba when he faced the media for the first time since ending the season-ending 2-0 home loss to relegated Cardiff, but the manager was clear that United would not be bullied into selling anyone.

"There has been loads of talk and speculation, of course, about all our players or many of our players, both ins and outs," he said.

"For me, it's business as usual. When you're Man United, you expect all these things to pop up in the summer.

"And of course I've been in touch with Paul, spoken to Paul. Spoken to Rom, spoken to Rashy [Marcus Rashford], Jesse (Lingard) - I've spoken to all the players, more or less, over the summer. As you do, you keep in touch with them.

"As far as I am aware and up to now, we don't have any bids for any of our players.

The plane flew over the training session in Perth (PA)

"We are Man United - we don't have to sell players. But what I have to say, though, is about some of the players.

"Paul, for example, it looks like it is going to be, or it's a media... I don't want to call it... but it's an agenda against Paul.

"He's a top, top bloke. He's a great, great professional. He's never been any problems. He has got a heart of goal."

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