Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo warmed up for his first return to former club Manchester United in the slightly less familiar surroundings of the Etihad Stadium.
Manager Jose Mourinho took the unusual step of choosing to train at the ground belonging to United's rivals City rather than Old Trafford.
Real have, of course, already been to City's stadium this summer having drawn Roberto Mancini's side in the group stages of the Champions League.
The 28-year-old Ronaldo, who left United for Spain in a world-record £80million deal in the summer of 2009, turned out wearing tracksuit bottoms and a woolly hat despite the Manchester sunshine and went through a series of light stretches during the 15 minutes open to the media.
Significantly goalkeeper Iker Casillas was also present for the session.
The club captain only returned to training on Thursday after sustaining a broken hand against Valencia in January but was included in the 24-man squad which flew into Manchester last night.
Such is the significance of the match, currently level at 1-1, Mourinho felt it was necessary to bring his vastly-experienced Spain goalkeeper to England.
In the early part of the open training session Casillas went through a series of stretches with the outfield players while Real's three other goalkeepers, including Diego Lopez who has deputised in the interim, took part in a series of drills.
However, Casillas soon joined his fellow goalkeepers for a work-out, raising the possibility he could make his first appearance since January 23 tomorrow night.
