The Red Devils stars didn’t appear to share the enthusiasm of some of their teammates
Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku have been photographed heading on Manchester United’s tour of Asia, despite speculation of transfers away from Old Trafford.
Both players were named in the Red Devils squad list released on Sunday, but it remained to be seen whether they would actually depart on the trip for matches in Australia, Singapore and China.
Among photos of posing and smiling teammates, Pogba was pictured looking downcast as he headed through the airport to Manchester United’s private plane.
The image came only days after Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola said he is ‘in the process’ of leaving the Theatre of Dreams with Real Madrid and Juventus reportedly interested in his services.
Lukaku, who is linked with a transfer to Inter, was also looking similarly glum as he prepared for the flight across the globe to Australian city Perth.
Other players and staff, including manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Victor Lindelof, all posed for the camera and smiled as photos were taken onboard the private jet.
New signings Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James also looked excited to be heading on their first United tour since joining the club over the off-season.
There was three noticeable absentees from the travelling party with Chilean Alexis Sanchez resting after picking up an injury during the Copa America, while Fred and Matteo Darmian have both been excluded for ‘personal reasons’.
Promising goalkeeper Dean Henderson was also excused from the journey after his efforts for England’s under-21 team at the European Championships and with a likely loan move back to Sheffield United in the works.
The Red Devils will likely arrive in Perth on Tuesday and will be able to acclimatise to the Australian weather conditions and time zone before they take on A-League side Perth Glory on Saturday.
Their second match Down Under will come against old rivals Leeds United on July 17 before they head to south-east Asia for the remainder of their tour in the region.
Matches against Inter (Singapore) on July 20 and Tottenham (Shanghai) on July 25 will follow as part of their participation in the International Champions Cup.