Manchester United have to stew on their poor results for three weeks in an extended international break.
Fulham v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
Michael Carrick will have extra time on the training ground with some players (Image: Getty)
Manchester United’s start to the season certainly hasn’t gone to plan. After being mauled by the Tigers on opening day, frustrated by Everton, beaten by 10-man Manchester City, and throwing away a two-goal lead at home to Brighton in the Carabao Cup, United’s latest slip-up came away to 19th-placed Fulham.
It means that, heading into the international break, United have won just two of their opening seven matches across all competitions. Wins against Ipswich and Sabah FK have piled the pressure on Michael Carrick’s shoulders, with suggestions that his job could be under scrutiny, should results fail to improve after the international break.
It will be a long and painful wait for Carrick and co. until United’s next match, but the good news is, he’ll be granted some much-needed time on the training ground with a selection of players. That’s because not every Red Devils squad member has been selected for international duty, meaning they’ll spend the majority of the next three weeks working with the United manager.
One of the biggest names not involved in an international squad is Harry Maguire, with the Englishman once again snubbed by Thomas Tuchel. Maguire’s family were very vocal after the defender was left out of the World Cup squad, and three months later, Tuchel’s position hasn’t budged.
Perhaps less eyebrow-raising is the omission of Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, and Tom Heaton. In the case of Heaton, United’s third-choice goalkeeper was never a serious candidate to get called up, while Shaw and Mount’s performances haven’t warranted a selection.
They might be joined on the training ground by Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, despite the duo being picked for England duty. That’s because the pair were said to have suffered small injuries during the draw at Fulham, and while there hasn’t been official confirmation yet, there is a suggestion they could withdraw.
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Fulham v Manchester United - Premier League 2026/27
Harry Maguire is one of the players left out of the England squad (Image: Getty)
That was the case for Karl Darlow, who withdrew from the Wales squad for the upcoming internationals. Darlow made his debut for United last week, but didn’t catch the eye during the Brighton collapse.
Elsewhere, Dutch pairing Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt haven’t been selected for the Netherlands squad. Whereas Amad, who is a regular for the Ivory Coast, is still recovering from an injury problem and isn’t in the upcoming squad.
And then there’s Carlos Baleba, who much like Amad, is a regular for Cameroon. Although, the midfielder has been left out this time around because of an ongoing injury problem. The recent £70million arrival is yet to play for United.
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