Manchester United returns to action next week with the return of domestic football with the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
As confirmed by the club’s official website, we are still determining which United players will report for duty after the World Cup in Qatar.
United take on Vincent Kompany’s Burnley next Wednesday, with The Clarets looking to make an impact given the unstable nature of the United squad.
Two players likely to be unavailable are center back pairing Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane due to their participation in the World Cup final on Sunday.
Victor Lindelof will almost certainly start missing out on the tournament, possibly along with Harry Maguire, who returns to the club after a strong performance in Qatar.
Erik ten Hag hopes the pair can develop a good relationship, and they are likely to be called up for the league game against Nottingham Forest after Christmas and Burnley’s draw.
Other English players, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford, will also be monitored to see if they are ready for next week, having exited the World Cup last Saturday.
Diogo Dalot also left Qatar at the quarter-final stage, but took a hit for Portugal; This is likely to result in Aaron Wan-Bissaka being bought out of the cold to make his first start of the season at right-back.
Jadon Sancho is unavailable despite not going to Qatar while he works on his fitness away from the team.
Sancho’s absence leaves Alejandro Garnacho as a likely starter at left back. The youngster will be looking to pick up where he left off before the break, having played a starring role for United in the run-up to the World Cup.
Garnacho will line up with Anthony Martial in attack, with the Frenchman playing in both of the recent friendlies as he looks to get back into shape and start his season.
Ten Hag has options in goal, with David de Gea out of the World Cup and Martin Dubravka also in contention. While there is no doubt about the coach’s number one, Dubravka started in the last round against Villa.
