A host of Manchester United players have taken up cooking during the lockdown - but face weekly weigh-ins to help ensure they do not resort to comfort eating while football is suspended.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first team squad are being supplied with bespoke United food hampers and putting their culinary skills to the test with the help of online cooking lessons.

“We managed to source a number of high-quality suppliers that were prepared to do safe home deliveries for them,” Steve McNally, United’s head of sports medicine, told the club's official website.

“We rolled that out to the players and they can basically choose a bespoke Man United hamper or food-type package.

“The nutritionist got the boys on an Instagram page looking at cooking lessons, so a lot of them have started to develop a new skill – and get injured in the process, one or two!”

McNally admitted that boredom can invite comfort eating but said players have their weight assessed every Friday to ensure they are maintaining a level of fitness.

“Hopefully they're not going without the required quality of food, [and] we hope the quantity is right!” McNally added. “We understand obviously – and we're all probably doing it ourselves – when you're bored, it's easy to comfort eat.

“The nutritionists are obviously doing a weekly weigh-in as well, so they've got a scheduled weigh-in every Friday morning with set parameters of their body-fat levels. But we'll see what they're like when we get back.”

Kieran McKenna, United’s first team coach, said Angel Gomes has been undergoing daily cooking lessons from his brother and that Tahith Chong had been helping his parents prepare meals. Channel their inner Gordon Ramseys does not come without its pitfalls, though.