“DID YOU like that?” a gleeful Harry Maguire asked Jonathan Woodgate.
Manchester United coach Woodgate was standing yards away when Maguire leathered the ball into a mini goal during a training drill.
“Oh H! H!” boomed Woodgate. There is bound to be a natural kinship between two gifted Yorkshire-bred centre halves.
That set the tone for an uplifting few days for United across the Irish Sea for their three-day training camp.
Maguire’s new contract, a near-fully fit squad and the imminent end to an inordinate 24-day gap between games fuelled the feel-good factor.
There is a breeziness about the United camp that those who have covered them for years are unaccustomed to.
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Even Maguire half-joked about the potential outcome of his charge by the Football Association.
Club sources believe the blend of hard work and social activities in Ireland has galvanised the squad further to ensure United finish as high as possible in the Premier League.
United flew to Dublin on Monday night and spent three nights at the opulent Carton House in County Kildare before they left on Thursday afternoon.
The return of Lisandro Martinez from a two-month absence due to a calf injury was particularly welcomed as the United defender brings a specific competitiveness to practice matches.
Key to United’s mini revival is not just the choice of Michael Carrick as head coach but his backroom staff.
First team coach Travis Binnion, promoted from Under 21 coach, led the start of United’s open training session at Carton House on Tuesday morning.
Binnion placed the players into groups of five in front of mini goals. The players took turns to dribble away from their group, weaving between cones, before pinging the ball over the goalframe for each teammate to exchange a one-touch pass before finishing into the goal.
Kobbie Mainoo had such a rusty start that Binnion congratulated him on his “tackle”. After that, Mainoo deftly flicked the ball and on another occasion impeccably cushioned it with his chest.
United used to primarily start opening training sessions with generic keep-ball exercises, known as “rondos” by football’s hipsters.
The intensity could vary and the footage could be unflattering. What we were treated to in Ireland this week was more engaging, more testing and, judging by the players’ reactions, more fun.
It also broke up the cliques. The two keep-ball groups tended to divide into Latino or Spanish-speakers and the more Anglicised contingent.
In front of more pairs of eyes and more camera lenses, none of the United players underhit their passes.
Manuel Ugarte, in Maguire’s and Mainoo’s group, has been drained of confidence for a year but his 30-yarders hit the target every time.
Carrick initially observed before getting involved in a passing drill on one of the far pitches. Players can be privately scathing about coaches who get involved in ball-work exercises but, as Amad said, Carrick’s “relationship with every player is good”.
The session was only open to the media for 15 minutes but that was enough time to notice that Carrick and his staff have freshened up United’s training regime.
Overall, the United players had three thorough sessions on the grass at Carton House followed by rigorous gym work after more than two weeks away.
“For a football player, you want to play games every single week,” Bryan Mbeumo said. “It’s a little bit of rest for us.
“It’s hard to find the rhythm but that’s why we’re here, to get ready for the next game and just be as strong as possible.
“Obviously, it’s clear for everyone with the position we are in now, we want to finish as strong as possible and reach the top of the position in the table, hopefully playing in the Champions League.”
Players ended up staying after sessions to make the most of the head tennis court. Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha were the undefeated doubles partners as they beat all challengers.
The wisdom of flying to Ireland when United have a £50million training hub that opened in August was justified by the activities the players enjoyed.
Some played golf on the O’Meara parkland course on Tuesday afternoon while others opted for clay pigeon shooting or the spa.
There was some obligatory commercial activity aside from plugging the August friendly with Leeds United. Nicky Byrne of Westlife fame was present on Tuesday and caught up with his old Leeds academy teammate Woodgate.
A young United staff member thought Woodgate was just an avid Westlife fan.
Benjamin Sesko visited Croke Park, the venue of United’s scheduled pre-season friendly with Leeds, to pose for some promotional material.
Sesko lives and breathes the life of a professional footballer but also showcased some surprising knowledge of Gaelic football, having watched some of it on television in his hotel room.
This trip was only possible through United’s failure to qualify for Europe this season and their early exit from the FA Cup. That afforded the staff and players the chance to tune into the midweek Champions League quarter-finals.
The group had both Champions League quarter-finals on the box on Tuesday night, so United do not necessarily find Arsenal to be a turn-off.
Carrick and his staff have been fixtures at academy games but could not attend the Under 21s’ 4-2 defeat to Real Madrid Castilla at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. The coaches still watched it via MUTV’s live coverage.
United could return to Carton House for a planned training camp towards the end of pre-season when most of their World Cup participants are back from their three-week breaks.
Carrick had stayed at the resort before and United staff were impressed by the plush facilities and manicured pitches.
Long-time United observers were taken aback by the fanaticism from their Irish support. Thousands of fans gathered over the three days United spent at Carton House, with 3,000 estimated to have turned up by Wednesday.
Every player spent at least 20 minutes signing autographs and posing for pictures after training. One staff member estimated that Bruno Fernandes scrawled his signature at least 1,000 times.
Fernandes also visited the Sligo supporters branch and received their player of the year award.
The press conference Amad and Mbeumo jointly chaired on Tuesday afternoon was 35 minutes later than billed but typically lighthearted.
Mbeumo appeared baffled by the repeated mention of his former Brentford teammate, Republic of Ireland international Nathan Collins, from Irish journalists.
Keith Andrews, another Premier League success story from across the Emerald Isle who Mbeumo worked with, was also mentioned.
There was a chuckle when the Ivory Coast and Cameroon internationals were asked about the Africa Cup of Nations final controversy, after winners Senegal were stripped of their title.
“No comment!” Amad chuckled. The question was also aimed at Mbeumo but he kept schtum.
Amad, 23, is one of the younger members of the squad but an authentic talker and he has now chaired press conferences in Ireland, Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
He could clearly be trusted to speak warmly about Carrick – and back his credentials to earn a longer contract.
Like Woodgate, Carrick will also like that.