Aston Villa, Man United, Wolves and Liverpool escape England’s freezing temperatures for warmer climates as they gear up for the return of the Premier League… but Tottenham decide to brave the cold back in London!

  • Many Premier League clubs have decamped abroad for warm weather training 
  • Aston Villa and Liverpool are in Dubai, as Man United and Wolves opt for Spain 
  • But Tottenham Hotspur were unable to book, and remain at their Enfield base 
  • The league returns on December 26, and some have League Cup matches too 

With just 18 days until the Premier League returns, top English clubs are returning to training to get their squad members fully fit ahead of competitive matches.

To get out of England's dire winter weather, some clubs have chosen to take part in warm weather training, flying their players not at the World Cup to Spain or the Middle East.

However, Spurs players are not so lucky - images show them training in Enfield ahead of the return of domestic fixtures later this month, after they were unable to secure a suitable location abroad.

Some Premier League clubs have decamped to warm resorts for mid-season training sessions

Some Premier League clubs have decamped to warm resorts for mid-season training sessions

Tottenham Hotspur players are less lucky, doing their training drills in cold weather in Enfield

Tottenham Hotspur players are less lucky, doing their training drills in cold weather in Enfield

Aston Villa - UAE


Unai Emery's squad are in Dubai to improve their fitness and also to get to know each other better. Emery only took over the head coach role on November 1 due to work permit formalities, and this is an early chance for him to know some of the players.

Tyrone Mings, John McGinn, Ashley Young and Douglas Luiz are among those currently being put through their paces in the United Arab Emirates, where the Villains will take on Chelsea in a friendly on Sunday. 

Left-back Lucas Digne was seen squirting himself with water during Wednesday's training session to try and cool down amidst Dubai's high December temperatures.

Unai Emery is spending some time getting to know his new Aston Villa players in the UAE

Unai Emery is spending some time getting to know his new Aston Villa players in the UAE

Douglas Luiz (C) is among the first-team players to be in Dubai, where they will face Chelsea

Douglas Luiz (C) is among the first-team players to be in Dubai, where they will face Chelsea

Left-back Lucas Digne took extreme measures to keep himself cool in Wednesday's training

Left-back Lucas Digne took extreme measures to keep himself cool in Wednesday's training

Liverpool - UAE

Great minds think alike for Liverpool, who also see themselves in training camp in the UAE, ahead of their competitive return against Manchester City in the League Cup in the days following the World Cup final. 

A sun-burnt Jurgen Klopp is seen leading his Reds - including top players like Mo Salah and Harvey Elliott - through training in Dubai. They will be hoping for a more solid second half of the season after a few unexpectedly under-par showings in their opening league fixtures.  

Liverpool's time in Dubai is not just focused on the training pitch though. Senior squad members including Adrian, Roberto Firmino and James Milner were among those who went to deliver gifts to the Rashia Center for People of Determination in Dubai, as a gesture towards their temporary hosts. 

A sun-burnt Jurgen Klopp is leading his Liverpool players through a training camp in Dubai

A sun-burnt Jurgen Klopp is leading his Liverpool players through a training camp in Dubai

Liverpool's Mo Salah taking part in training in Dubai
The UAE training camp has seen Harvey Elliott working out

Senior players Mo Salah and Harvey Elliott are among those in the training camp in the UAE

Some of the Liverpool players have been involved in delivering gifts to local people in Dubai

Some of the Liverpool players have been involved in delivering gifts to local people in Dubai

Wolves - Marbella, Spain

Similar to Emery, Julen Lopetugi has only recently taken the helm at Molineux, so Wolves' training camp in Marbella, Spain, is an opportunity for him to get to know players like Diego Costa and Adama Traore better.

During their time in Spain, Wolves will take on Empoli and Cadiz in friendlies, ahead of a competitive return against Gillingham in the League Cup on December 20. 

As part of their work in Marbella, Wolves have had sessions in the daytime, and also at night, as they hope to get up to full fitness before the season resumes. The views definitely suggest it is a different experience to their time in Wolverhampton.  

Julen Lopetugi is overseeing his Wolves players in training and friendlies in Spain's Marbella

Julen Lopetugi is overseeing his Wolves players in training and friendlies in Spain's Marbella

Marbella is a different experience for Wolves' senior players to enjoy before competitive return

Marbella is a different experience for Wolves' senior players to enjoy before competitive return

They have also taken some sessions at night as part of the warm weather experience in Spain

They have also taken some sessions at night as part of the warm weather experience in Spain

Manchester United - Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

The Red Devils who are not at the World Cup have decamped to Spain for training and friendlies. Erik ten Hag is putting those players including goalkeeper David de Gea through their paces, with a hope to mounting a strong charge during the second half of the long Premier League campaign. 

Their 4-2 loss to mid-table LaLiga side Cadiz on Wednesday was seen as a surprise to many, but they have the opportunity for quick redemption whey they come head-to-head with Real Betis on Saturday evening. 

A mixture of senior players and young future talent like Joe Hugill are currently working hard in the Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera, with an eye on their competitive return against Burnley in the League Cup on December 21. 

Man United's current crop of players are working in Jerez de la Frontera ahead of friendlies

Man United's current crop of players are working in Jerez de la Frontera ahead of friendlies

Erik ten Hag is overseeing work by youth players and senior stars like goalkeeper David de Gea

Erik ten Hag is overseeing work by youth players and senior stars like goalkeeper David de Gea

Teenager Joe Hugill is among those currently in Manchester United's Spanish training camp

Teenager Joe Hugill is among those currently in Manchester United's Spanish training camp

Tottenham Hotspur - Enfield

Not everyone has gone away this December. While Jurgen Klopp has a baseball cap on in Dubai, his Tottenham counterpart Antonio Conte has resorted to a large woolly hat to fight off the cold of Spurs' training ground in Enfield.

Spurs were one of the only clubs not to pursue a warm-weather base for mid-season training - because they couldn't find anywhere suitable to book. It was only 12 years ago that the World Cup was announced to be in Qatar, after all. 

Still to their credit, the players are wrapping up in multiple layers, with gloves if desired, and cracking on with their hard work in advance of their Premier League return at Brentford on Boxing Day. They have a training ground friendly against Motherwell on Friday, and a match against Nice at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 21.  

Antonio Conte has wrapped up warm to oversee Tottenham training at their home Enfield base

Antonio Conte has wrapped up warm to oversee Tottenham training at their home Enfield base

Yves Bissouma has warn multiple layers and gloves to tackle England's December climate

Yves Bissouma has warn multiple layers and gloves to tackle England's December climate

Spurs have friendlies against Motherwell and Nice in advance of their Boxing Day league game

Spurs have friendlies against Motherwell and Nice in advance of their Boxing Day league game

Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United are all currently in the Middle East with friendlies planned as well, whilst Brentford and Leeds have both opted for Spanish locations.

Wolves and Leicester City are the first Premier League teams with competitive fixtures after the World Cup, as their League Cup games take place just two days after the showpiece final in Qatar.

The Premier League begins again on Boxing Day, with all teams expected to play a string of four fixtures between then and the first week of January, when the FA Cup returns.  

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