Manchester United players could be on January transfer list as Rio Ferdinand gives Varane verdict

A number of Manchester United players are away on international duty but the work never stops at Carrington and Erik ten Hag is already preparing for the return of domestic football.

United went into the break off the back of Saturday's hard-fought 1-0 win at home to Luton Town. Ten Hag continued his excellent run against newly-promoted sides and had Victor Lindelof to thank, the Swedish defender scoring the only goal of the game on the hour mark.

But it was far from a perfect start to the week on Monday, with news that both Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen will be out until at least the end of November due to injuries picked up over the weekend. The pair join a long list of fitness issues that Ten Hag has had to contend with throughout the season.

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The January transfer window could be crucial to turning United's dire season around.

There might not be much left to savour by then given there can't even be a dream of winning the Premier League title now and United will be lucky to move into the Europa League, let alone qualify for the Champions League knock-out stages. But there's still the FA Cup to potentially win, a top-four place to secure and a job for Ten Hag to keep.

So there will still be plenty on the line in the second half of the season and strong recruitment in the new year could give the boost needed. Injuries have ravaged the squad this season and serious reinforcements are needed in defence, out wide and up front.

But United will be working on a shoestring budget after overspending once again in