This winter’s World Cup in Qatar is in full flow and the halfway point of the tournament has just passed, with 11 Manchester United stars remaining in the competition ahead of the start of quarter-final fixtures later this week.
That means Erik ten Hag is still without the bulk of his squad ahead of the resumption of club football in roughly two weeks, with the Dutchman currently overseeing a mid-season training camp in Spain.
The squad that has travelled to Spain is mainly made up of youngsters and fit seniors who are not involved in the World Cup. Later on Wednesday, some of those players will be handed the chance to impress as the Reds face Cadiz in a friendly.
Speaking ahead of the game against the Spanish outfit, Ten Hag has sent a message to his international stars that they must be ready when they return from the World Cup.
“We had a plan, we have prepared the players with what the plan is so there can’t be any confusion about what the programme is,” he told the official Manchester United website when quizzed on his returning players.
“We make the players aware of the fact that, after you are out of the World Cup, you have to return to the club and the league immediately goes on.
“You have to be ready for that, but I think our players are used to it. Our players are winners, and they are battling now for the World Cup and in the moment they are out – hopefully one is the winner – they have to deal with that.
“With the success they have, or the defeats, they have to deal with it and of course they have to be ready for another challenge.”
SN’s verdict…
It’s difficult to predict exactly what’s going to happen in the second half of the season as we’re currently in unprecedented times after the club season paused to accommodate the World Cup.
United are, however, one of the clubs with the most players at the World Cup and from Ten Hag’s viewpoint, that can’t be seen as a good thing.
United’s fixture list is already hectic enough as they’re still competing in four competitions but two Premier League games have already been postponed and need to be played before the end of the season – it’s up to the relevant bodies to squeeze them in without endangering players’ fitness.