Man United sit 12th in the Premier League heading into a whopping three-week international break
Marcus Rashford is among the Manchester United players not heading off on international duty
Marcus Rashford is among the Manchester United players not heading off on international duty(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
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Manchester United have been unable to continue their positive end to last season. Despite comfortable wins against Ipswich Town in the Premier League and Sabah FK in the Champions League, Michael Carrick's side have underwhelmed.
Last week was particularly poor for the Reds. Off the back of losing to 10-man Manchester City at Old Trafford, United proceeded to chuck away a two-goal lead, to exit the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle. They then were largely disappointing against Fulham at Craven Cottage, relying on Matheus Cunha's late deflected strike to rescue a point against Alvaro Arbeloa's winless Premier League team.
That draw marked United's last game for three weeks as they embark on an extended international break. Several players have joined up with their national teams, but a number of United's first team squad will be remaining in Manchester for at least some of the break.
Karl Darlow, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Sesko have withdrawn from their national teams after being selected. Mainoo was replaced on the 80th minute to boos from the away end on Sunday, having been one of United's best players in that game. Rashford picked up an 'issue' against Fulham, leaving United with no representatives in the England squad.
Darlow was picked for Wales but has withdrawn and will be assessed at Carrington, along with Sesko, who did not travel to London on Saturday for last weekend's match. Carrick explained he had a recurrence of his shin problem, that was initially sustained in May.
Senne Lammens is the only goalkeeper away on international duty, so Tom Heaton and Dermot Mee will be around Carrington over the next few weeks. However, Heaton is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during the pre-season draw with Paris Saint-Germain.
Matthijs de Ligt was a welcome sight on the train to London this weekend. He has been missing since November last year and while he did not make the bench to face Fulham, could be in line for a return against Tottenham, on October 10.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were again overlooked by Thomas Tuchel. The England head coach claimed he had not spoken to Maguire since his outburst after missing this summer's World Cup squad.
In midfield, Carrick has a handful of senior players to work with. Manuel Ugarte will be at Carrington as he recovers from the cruciate ligament injury he sustained at the World Cup. He is joined by Carlos Baleba, who was an unused substitute at Fulham after recovering from an ankle injury.
Mason Mount rounds off the midfield options. He is back after sustaining an injury during that pre-season fixture against PSG.
Carlo Ancelotti surprisingly left Cunha out of his Brazil squad. The forward went to the World Cup, but was overlooked for friendlies against Australia and India.
Amad is another player who is looking to overcome injury problems during the three-week break. He has not played so far this season having picked up an issue before the opening day defeat to Hull City.
Rounding off the attacking options is Joshua Zirkzee. Zirkzee is out of the loop with the Netherlands national team, and could be an option at centre-forward, if Carrick remains without Sesko post-international break.
This period allows United's boss to implement fresh ideas on those who are not on international duty, ahead of their next Premier League game. Upon the return of domestic football, the Reds will host Tottenham Hotspur, before a huge trip to Atletico Madrid three days later, in the Champions League.