Erik ten Hag will find out if he has passed his first Manchester United objective this week

When the full-time whistle is sounded at the end of Manchester United's scheduled showdown with Leeds United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, it will mark the beginning of the first international break of the season.

It will also mark the beginning of the last international break before the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on November 20. It will present international managers with their last opportunity to work with prospective members of their World Cup squads before finalising their selection choices for Qatar.

The decision for the World Cup to be staged slap-bang in the middle of the domestic season has done little to please fans at club level, as not only does it break the tradition of football's greatest show on earth taking place in June and July, but it also threatens to disrupt any momentum that is being enjoyed in the build-up to the start of the tournament. But for United duo Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford it could not have been staged at a better time.

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That is because the United stars were left out of Gareth Southgate's most recent England squad in June. They were overlooked when the former defender selected his squad for the four Nations League fixtures against Hungary (twice), Germany and Italy.

Harry Maguire was the only United representation in the Three Lions' last squad, with Luke Shaw, despite playing a key role in helping England reach the final of the European Championship less than 12 months earlier, also overlooked. The absences of Shaw, Sancho and Rashford prompted Southgate to sound a clear warning to United's England contingent.

"We've only got one [United player] with us [Maguire]," said Southgate, speaking in