It was the first sighting of the new Premier League ball at Shirecliffe as excitement continues to build ahead of the new campaign. While most of United’s players reported back on Monday for testing, some of their teammates were granted a bit extra rest after their international commitments over the summer - including Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge.
Preparations for August 12’s opener against Crystal Palace will now ramp up, with the Blades’ first friendly on July 15 away at Chesterfield. Photographer Simon Bellis was granted behind-the-scenes access to United’s pre-season camp this week - and we picked out 19 of the best pictures to whet the appetite during these long summer months without football ...