Manchester United to play Cadiz during mid-season break

Manchester United have announced that they will take on La Liga outfit Cadiz during a week-long training camp in Spain over the winter.

The Red Devils will face the Spanish outfit on December 7, while they will also play another friendly during the break, which will involve the players not taking part in the 2022 World Cup.

Man United will have a number of representatives at the tournament in Qatar, which is due to begin on November 20, but there will also be first-team players not at the competition.

The 20-time English champions have another four games to come before the season halts for the World Cup, facing Real Sociedad in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the EFL Cup, in addition to Villa and Fulham in the Premier League.

Man United will then not be back in competitive action until December 27 at home to Nottingham Forest, but they will play two friendlies over the winter, including the contest with Cadiz at the start of next month.

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"Erik and the team have made good progress during this first half of the season, and it is important we maintain this momentum coming out of the World Cup break," Man United's football director John Murtough told the club's official website.

"A winter training camp will be a vital part of the team's preparations for the second half of the season. We have lined up a high-quality local opponent to play against, ensuring match fitness and sharpness is retained.

"The camp and game will also allow for some of our young talent to experience training and playing in a first-team environment, as well as provide entertaining club football for fans."

Meanwhile, head coach Erik ten Hag added: "It's a strange season. It's not like usual as we have a World Cup but also players will stay behind.

"We have to train them during those six weeks and we have to give them the right programme so they stay in the right fitness levels, but also they stay in the right shape and also in the team style.

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"We made a programme to do that, as optimum as possible. So, we will train here [at Carrington] for one week, or eight or nine days, and then we will have a short break. Then we will train and go to Spain for a training camp for one week.

"There, we can train proper. We have good opponents over there so we can get the game practice in as well. Then we will return, ready for the second stage of the season, I would say, but a long stage, longer than usual."

Man United are currently on an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions, winning three of their last four, including a 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Ten Hag's side will head to Spain later this week needing to beat Real Sociedad by two clear goals in order to secure an automatic spot in the knockout round of the Europa League.