Erik ten Hag has five things in his in-tray as Manchester United players return to training

Erik ten Hag returns to Carrington on Monday after another tumultuous week for Manchester United and the Dutchman's in-tray is packed with problems to solve.

The international break has only added to Ten Hag's dilemmas, with Jadon Sancho's revolt last weekend and the abuse allegations against Antony in Brazil keeping the club in the headlines.

United's season is a month old but already in danger of veering horribly off course, with off-field problems and on-pitch concerns continuing to mount. There have been two wins and two defeats so far this season and the fixture with Brighton this weekend looks treacherous.

Ten Hag needs to get his team back on course this week while also settling down a squad that is being hit by headlines away from the pitch as well.

These are the five main issues Ten Hag might need to look at ahead of Saturday's Old Trafford fixture...

Sancho meeting

The unmistakable whiff of tension will fill the air at Carrington on Monday when Sancho and Ten Hag meet for the first time since their disagreement went public just over a week ago and the stakes have been raised since.

Ten Hag refused to back away from his own explanation for Sancho’s absence against Arsenal, that he hadn’t been training well enough, but rather than getting a positive reaction from the winger, it produced a furious social media response.

Given Ten Hag’s approach to discipline and squad unity, it’s not easy to see a way back for the 23-year-old, but this week could be instructive. Can they find some common ground in their one-to-one meeting and in training? We are three months away from another transfer window so a clean break isn’t possible at the moment.

The decision to give Antony a leave of absence also represents another