One
Manchester United appear to have adopted Sir Dave Brailsford’s marginal gains strategy to ensure their players are performing at their best during the club’s ongoing pre-season tour of the United States.
Erik ten Hag and his stars headed to Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon to kick-start their preparations for the 2024/25 season.
According to the Daily Mail, Sir Dave Brailsford’s marginal profit philosophy appears to have influenced the club’s touring plans.
Brailsford is perhaps best known to the public as the man who transformed the fortunes of British cycling with his theory of ‘marginal gains’.
The principle of the cycling chiefs emphasises that even a 1% improvement in all aspects can ultimately make a huge difference when combined. It was widely expected that United would try to implement this as INEOS went about their business of restoring the club to its former glory.
The email said: “United’s fitness and performance team have put together a detailed plan to help the players recover from the 11-hour flight and adapt to the eight-hour time difference as quickly as possible.”
“When the United squad arrived at the hotel early on Wednesday evening, they went for dinner and the players stayed up as late as possible before going to bed.”
“The United stars are wearing individually tailored compression suits to increase circulation after their flight from Manchester to LAX on Wednesday. They have been given designated windows for eating and sleeping, with tailored meals prepared by chef Omar Meziane and the club’s nutrition team.”
The paper added that the players have also developed a hydration plan to help them cope with California’s hot weather.
Additionally, UCLA’s training sessions are structured to give the team ample natural light at the best times of the day to help overcome jet lag.
The delegation heading to the US included Brailsford himself, chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
The Red Devils begin their tour with a match against Arsenal on July 27 before taking on Real Betis on July 31. The team’s last game is against Ane Slot’s Liverpool on August 3.
Want to be the first to hear United breaking news? Join our WhatsApp channel for carefully curated important updates: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.
