How the international break was perfect for Erik ten Hag and Man United – opinion

The final international break of the season is over and it can be argued that Manchester United will be better off on the other side of the latest two-week hiatus.

That is a rare takeaway from these international breaks as first-team regulars have a tendency of picking up injuries and knocks when they are with their national teams.

Whilst that is true for Marcel Sabitzer and Victor Lindelof, who sustained injuries representing Austria and Sweden respectively, Erik ten Hag can look back at the international break and be pleasantly surprised.

The Dutchman has been reluctant to rotate his side for much of his maiden campaign in the squad and over the last few weeks, it was becoming increasingly clear that his mean were fatiguing. Perhaps the clearest sign of fatigue came in the final game before the break, a 3-1 win over Fulham at Old Trafford.

Since then, nearly all of his first-team regulars have been handed extended breaks, which will give them the best chances of recharging for a gruelling final two months of the season.

David de Gea did not take part for Spain, whilst the majority of the backline played just one game for their countries. Aaron Wan-Bissaka remained at Carrington, Raphael Varane’s international retirement meant he did the same and Luke Shaw was suspended for England’s second game. Lisandro Martinez was named on the bench for both of Argentina’s games, as was Tyrell Malacia for the Netherlands.

Further up the pitch, Casemiro played just one game for Brazil and he will miss the next three domestic games for United, meaning he will be in perfect shape for the remainder of the season. Fred was not called up for Brazil. Christian Eriksen is believed to be closing in on a return shortly after club football is resumed later this week.

Jadon Sancho remained at Carrington, Antony did not start for Brazil and Marcus Rashford has been training on his own in Manchester.

Anthony Martial is expected to be available for selection after carefully returning to first-team training before the international break, whilst Wout Weghorst’s remarkable run of starting every game since the end of January came to an end when he was named on the bench by Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman.

There are certainly worse ways for your squad and key players to be utilised in a delicate period of the season and Ten Hag will be delighted going into a decisive couple of months.

The first obstacle comes this weekend when they make the trip to face Newcastle United, a repeat of the Carabao Cup final at Wembley last month.

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