Manchester United might have to sell six players to give Erik ten Hag the squad he wants

In the week that Manchester United named three goalkeepers on the bench in a Champions League game to fill up their quota of 10 substitutes, Manchester City picked two 'keepers but also left two spots vacant in their squad.

Both sides were affected by injuries but it was United's bench in Munich that attracted the most attention that week. Not only did it contain three goalkeepers, but also a 35-year-old defender and two outfielders yet to make their debuts for the club.

Critics could have glanced at that collection of 10 players, looked at City's eight subs and said at least United were able to fill their bench. But it would be missing the point. On three occasions this season Pep Guardiola has only been able to name eight of a possible nine substitutes in the Premier League, but that is by choice.

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When Guardiola raised the ever-expanding schedule as a major issue a couple of weeks ago, he was asked if increasing the size of his squad was going to be necessary, particularly when the Club World Cup begins in 2025. The question hadn't finished being asked and he was already shaking his head. "No, no no," he interjected.

“It’s not sustainable for the club. People say, ‘You have 18, 19, 20 players, and you have six injuries, so you should have a longer squad’, but what happens after that when you don’t have injuries and you have 25 players?," he said.

"How can I handle and manage just 11 guys playing and 14 not playing in a long, long time? I don’t want to be a manager. I prefer that situation (with a smaller squad)."

Guardiola is not alone in wanting a smaller squad