Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire and Brandon Williams have been pictured out on the grass at Carrington 

Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire and Brandon Williams have been pictured out on the grass at Carrington as they step up their recovery from injury.

Club captain Maguire has been absent since being hurt during England’s 3-3 draw with Germany, in the UEFA Nations League tie at Wembley, on 26 September.

It is not known whether Saturday’s game at Chelsea will come too soon for the 29-year-old, who scored his first league goal for the Reds in a win at Stamford Bridge in February 2020, with a bullet header.

We expect manager Erik ten Hag to provide an update when he addresses the media at Friday’s press conference, which will be available to watch on our official club channels from 11:45 BST.

Our photographers also captured images of Williams hard at work, as he bids to force his way into contention for a first outing of 2022/23.

The homegrown full-back missed the summer tour due to injury and has not featured for his boyhood club since the 2020 Europa League final against Sevilla. This is largely because he spent the entirety of last season on loan at Norwich City.