Manchester United will restart their most important run of the season after the international break with a fixture away at Nottingham Forest.
In the meantime, Ruben Amorim will be glad to know that none of his players who went to their national teams is returning injured.
Moreover, there’s a positive Man Utd injury update for those who didn’t go so the squad looks in good shape.
Even from a form perspective, Man Utd stars shone on international duty for their teams. Here’s a rundown of the players involved for their national teams in this break and how they rated-
Photo by Gualter Fatia - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Gualter Fatia – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Andre Onana (Cameroon) – 7
Onana started both games for Cameroon, a goalless draw at Eswatini and a home win against Libya, conceding one goal in the latter game. Went viral for organising a free-kick standing near the opposition half vs Eswatini. Stay eccentric, Andre.
Christian Eriksen (Denmark) – 7.5
Played two marquee games in the UEFA National League quarterfinals against Portugal and showed that quality never ages. Influential in the 1-0 win in the first leg and scored in the second. Unfortunately for him, the 5-2 loss in the second leg ended Denmark’s journey.
Rasmus Hojlund (Denmark) – 7
Scored in consecutive games by following up his Leicester effort with the winner vs Portugal in the 1-0 win, copying Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebration in the process. Couldn’t repeat the heroics in the second leg.
Patrick Dorgu (Denmark) – 8
Had a break full of action and headlines as he played both games for Denmark, assisted Eriksen’s goal in one, conceded a sketchy penalty to Ronaldo, and flew forward as an ideal full-back. United have a gem on their hands.
Photo by Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images
Photo by Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images
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Bruno Fernandes (Portugal) – 6.5
The Man Utd captain wasn’t bad by any means, just a victim of his own high standards. Struggled to create in the 1-0 loss and remained off the scoresheet/assist line when Portugal hit Denmark for five in the second leg. Still a threat but not to his usual standards.
Diogo Dalot (Portugal) – 6
Had the opposite form trend of Fernandes as he was good in the 1-0 loss, creating two chances, but among the weakest players in the second leg, when the team improved after he was subbed off. His duel against Dorgu in both games was great to watch but the Danish full-back had the better of him.
Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands) – N/A
Ronald Koeman’s insistence on not using De Ligt continued as he played six minutes of football across two games. Ruben Amorim will be happy.
Victor Lindelof (Sweden) – 7
Played one of Sweden’s two games, a 5-1 win over Northern Ireland, and came through with credit to his name. Played in a back three and was a crucial part of the build-up.
Manuel Ugarte (Uruguay) – 7
Had a brutal traveling schedule with games against Argentina and then in the peaks of Bolivia but at least he played only one. Shone in the goalless draw against Bolivia with another all-action display.
Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco) – 7.5
The only thing stopping Mazraoui from matching Dorgu’s rating is that Morocco were the overwhelming favourites in both games – Niger and Tanzania. The Utd man was a star in both, assisting against Niger in a 2-1 win and playing another 90 in the 2-0 win against Tanzania.
Besides these players, some exciting youngsters also played for their national teams. James Scanlon made history with Gibraltar, while Chido Obi continued his ascent through the Danish youth ranks. United loanee Marcus Rashford had a mixed break on his return to the national side.
Overall, it was a very good break for Man Utd because players played well, those who needed resting got that, and those who didn’t go received precious recovery time. Now to go for that Europa League…