Three Manchester United players can make point to Erik ten Hag during international break

Many of Manchester United's stars are away on international duty over the next week but the work never stops at Carrington.

Erik ten Hag will be working with a skeleton squad over the next few days, having waved away the majority of his regular starters from Manchester Airport at the start of the week. The Dutchman will have eyes across the various games involving his players, crossing everything that they come through unscathed.

In that sense, he'll be happy to see that Rasmus Hojlund won't be pushed to a full 90 minutes on Denmark duties. Goals from the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay will also be well received.

But while those across the globe look to impress Ten Hag from afar, many of United's fringe players remain much closer to home. Training over the next few days won't just be a chance to keep the blood flowing but to make an impression, given there is less competition to stand out.

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The most obvious of those wanting to stand out is Jadon Sancho. After last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Arsenal - a game in which Sancho was left out of the squad - Ten Hag called the winger out for his supposed poor performances in training.

Sancho responded with an extraordinary statement claiming he was being made a scapegoat - a social media post still pinned to his X profile - but will want to send a more promising message in training. He and Ten Hag are expected to hold talks, if they haven't already.

The 23-year-old is still a United player and will be until at least January now the transfer window is closed, and the fact he played the most minutes in pre-season suggests Ten Hag values his skill set. With the