Valencia gorges on entire table of fruit to help Man Utd ace's injury recovery

ANTONIO VALENCIA is hungry for a return to the Manchester United first team.

The Ecuador star uploaded a picture of himself gorging on fruit and a few videos training on a beach in his native country as he steps up his recovery from injury.

A pineapple a day keeps the doctor away... Antonio Valencia gorges on fruit in his native Ecuador while recovering from injury

United's captain has not played since January 2 and is expected to be out for the rest of the month after picking up a calf KO.

In a boost for Old Trafford boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Valencia looks to be nearing full fitness after posting two clips of himself sprinting and doing training drills on the beach.

The pacy right-back even beats a MOTORBIKE in a footrace over about 50 metres in one of the videos.

He captioned it: "It's never too late to start over. I mean, every step of the way, I just tried to build something that would last.

Manchester United star Antonio Valencia sprints along a beach in Ecuador

"The greatest peace we find is when we try to achieve our dreams. At every stage of life we must give our best to follow."

Valencia, 33, puts down much of his recovery to healthy eating and also updated his followers with a snap of himself feasting on fruit.

Standing topless and eating an entire pineapple in front of a bench full of fruit, he wrote: "The best way to recover is from natural sources 🍈 🍇 🍌.

"Thanks to my Ecuadorian soil for so much variety of fruits!"

Valencia's upbeat attitude will be a relief to Solskjaer, who decided NOT to extend his contract beyond the summer.

While the Norwegian has only selected him once since taking over in December, his availability could come in handy amid United's injury crisis.

Valencia will be hoping to play some part in the Red Devils' push for a top-four finish in the final stretch of the season.

Ashley Young has replaced Valencia at right-back and youngster Diogo Dalot has impressed when given the chance, while United have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Valencia joined the club from Wigan ten years ago and has made 338 appearances.