Manchester United might have already confirmed five starters against Man City
There will be little room for excuses when Manchester United make the short trip to face Man City in the Premier League this weekend. It will have been 17 days since Erik ten Hag's side were last in action and 28 days since their most recent domestic outing.
Matches after an international break can sometimes be slow burners, but that is simply unacceptable when it is a game of such magnitude that will require the highest level of intensity. United's performance against City on Sunday will set the benchmark for a packed month that will see them play nine matches and face the gruelling test of two games a week up until the World Cup.
This is a schedule that is sure to test Ten Hag's squad to the limits, with a pool of periphery players sure to get a chance in the coming weeks across the varying competitions and commitments. For the match at the Etihad, United will need to go with their strongest available selection, and barring any surprise call, it seems like Ten Hag already has an XI in mind based on recent performances.
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David de Gea and Jadon Sancho will be fit to start this weekend given they were not involved in the recent international matches for their respective nations, while a whole host of players have so far returned unscathed.
Brazil face Tunisia on Tuesday night, meaning there is one last hurdle for Antony and Casemiro to clear before they return to Carrington, while Lisandro Martinez will be involved for Argentina against Jamaica in the very early hours of Wednesday morning.
It means the trio face a bit of a race to get back to Manchester in time for training this week, but with United not playing until Sunday