Inside Man United's first week of pre-season as Gang of Five's shadow hangs over Carrington while club struggle to sell outcasts, writes CHRIS WHEELER

Pre-season should be a time for fresh starts and clean slates, but some old problems hung over Manchester United and their manager Ruben Amorim when the players returned to training at Carrington this week.

If Amorim had been hoping United might make some significant headway in finding new homes for Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia during the five weeks he was away from the club this summer, he will have been disappointed.

No sooner had Amorim reappeared at Carrington last Friday than it emerged Rashford was ready to play a full part in pre-season and give 100 per cent while he remains a United player. It quickly became clear that wasn't going to happen as United revealed all five players had been told to delay their required return date.

Sources say United are being mindful not to inflame an already tense situation — particularly with Rashford, who has been at his boyhood club for two decades and is losing his No 10 shirt to new signing Matheus Cunha.

United are also treading carefully through a contractual minefield, not least by suggesting the players have expressed a wish to explore a future away from Old Trafford and are being given more time to do so.

Some of the players' camps insist they have not asked to leave, a move that would impact the terms of their pay-offs when they eventually go, but there is little argument that it would be in everybody's interests for them to find new clubs.

United can't ban the five from Carrington. How could they when the players have done nothing wrong? They continue to be allowed access to medical and rehab facilities, and can return to Carrington in a few weeks (presumably once Amorim and the rest of the squad leave on tour to the US on July 23) if a move doesn't transpire.

Thus far only Rashford has exercised that option, coming in on Monday and Tuesday to work with United's fitness staff in a move that sources say was 'co-ordinated' to work around the rest of the squad's return to training. Sancho, no stranger to working alone at Carrington after being frozen out by Amorim's predecessor Erik ten Hag, and the other three outcasts have so far stayed away.

'It leaves quite an unhappy hiatus between the club and the players,' says sports lawyer Chris Farnell. 'The club aren't getting the best use of the players and the players aren't preparing as they should for the new season.

'Both sides are keeping their negotiating position as strong as possible, and treading carefully so as not to be in breach of contract. It's a calculated move by the club. The players haven't been excluded. The club are currently not taking a risk, but it becomes significantly more of a risk the nearer it gets to the start of the season.'

The last time the players had gathered at Carrington in May, Amorim told Garnacho to 'pray' he can find a new club this summer in response to the player's reaction over being benched for the Europa League final defeat by Tottenham. As the first group of players re-assembled for a brief team meeting on Monday morning after an 8am check-in and breakfast, at which Cunha and United's other new signing Diego Leon met their new team-mates, it is understood Amorim only introduced the new staff and didn't mention the absentees.

The players were decked out in their new 'aurora purple' training kit which is still without a sponsor after a deal with Tezos lapsed at the end of last season, although insiders say United are confident of announcing one soon.

After Sir Dave Brailsford, who has been a key figure in the £50million upgrade of the training ground, took a step back from his day-to-day duties at United, chief operating officer Collette Roche and director of football Jason Wilcox have been the senior figures at Carrington this week.

The work is almost complete but Amorim and his players are still based in the women's and academy building where they moved last season once construction began.

Various departments are working with designers on the final details, and everything will be in place when the squad return from the US in early August.

For now, the men's gym is located on the indoor pitch, and that's where medical testing began on Monday morning. Given that it was little over a month since they returned from a post-season tour to the Far East, and many of players follow a fitness and nutrition plan, it is highly unlikely that any of them are significantly out of shape.

Having bemoaned the lack of opportunities to work with his players on the training ground during a torrid first eight months in charge, Amorim didn't waste any time getting them out on the grass before lunch. Youngsters Shea Lacey, Bendito Mantato and Reece Munro were invited to join the senior squad. A different group are believed to have got the call on Tuesday when Amorim's positional requirements changed.

In the afternoon, the players had cardiac, dental and sight tests before a longer than usual day came to a close shortly before 5pm. More fitness work and testing was wrapped up by 2pm on Tuesday, and the players had Wednesday off.

Yesterday, they were joined by eight players who were given extra holiday because they had been away on international duty, including Portugal's Nations League champions Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot.

The second group began their testing and will merge with the rest of the squad early next week ahead of United's opening pre-season friendly against Leeds in Stockholm a week tomorrow.

The squad will return to Manchester before leaving for their training base in Chicago, where they face Bournemouth in the Premier League Summer Series on July 31. First up, it's a flying visit to New Jersey to play West Ham on July 27 before finishing off against Everton in Atlanta on August 3.

Amorim will be hoping the gang of five are gone by then, but there are no guarantees of that.