The October international break provided an odd temperature check for those at Manchester United.
Despite speculation about Erik ten Hag’s job security over the past two weeks, the Dutchman remains in place for Saturday’s fixture at home against Brentford. The break from club football also gave some players a chance to rest and reset for the winter schedule ahead, although perhaps not all in the most straightforward manner — a handful withdrew from national-team duties for injury-related reasons.
Alejandro Garnacho missed Argentina’s fixtures against Venezuela and Bolivia as a precautionary measure due to discomfort in his knee. Noussair Mazraoui was unavailable for Morroco’s two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Central African Republic after undergoing minor heart surgery. Amad missed the Ivory Coast’s AFCON double-header against Sierra Leone due to illness.
A muscle injury to Harry Maguire and a hamstring complaint for Kobbie Mainoo meant interim manager Lee Carsley went without any United players in his England squad for games against Greece and Finland — the first time that has happened since 1976.
The withdrawals contributed to it being a comparatively quiet break for United players. Of the 12 who did depart for international duty (listed in the table below), seven featured for at least part of both games for their country (those shaded red).
(* Scanlon, a forward in United’s under-18 and under-23 teams, is yet to make his senior team debut.)
The players who barely kicked a ball…
Altay Bayindir did not feature in either of Turkey’s wins against Montenegro (1-0) and Iceland (4-2). The 26-year-old last played for his nation at Euro 2024 back in the summer in a 3-0 group-stage defeat to Portugal.
Victor Lindelof had a disrupted start to the season, injuring a toe at the beginning of August and subsequently missing a month of football. Still, the 31-year-old played 28 minutes in this international break, coming on as a second-half substitute in Sweden’s 2-2 draw against Slovakia, before being an unused substitute in a 3-0 victory over Estonia.
Lisandro Martinez was an unused substitute in Argentina’s 1-1 draw with Venezuela before featuring for 17 minutes in their 6-0 drubbing of Bolivia. (The Athletic recommends you watch the highlights below for a Lionel Messi masterclass.) Martinez, 26, also used the international break to announce he will become a father next year.
Matthijs de Ligt appears out of favour in the Netherlands setup, only appearing as a late emergency substitute against Hungary following Virgil van Dijk’s 79th-minute sending-off. The centre-back was then an unused substitute against Germany, with Ronald Koeman preferring to play Micky van de Ven at left centre-back with Stefan de Vrij. Koeman described the decision to play the Tottenham defender as having been a straightforward one. If De Ligt is to become a starter for his country again, he has his work cut out for him.
The mixed zone
Joshua Zirkzee had a mixed international break for the Dutch. Before facing Hungary, Koeman informed the media that he had no favoured No 9 in his setup and would give the United man and Ajax’s Brian Brobbey a start each in the two games. Zirkzee played for 76 minutes in the 1-1 draw in Budapest, often drifting towards the left wing to link up with Cody Gapko when the Netherlands were in the ascendancy. However, he lacked cutting edge in the penalty box, and his best chance of the game was a shot that was blocked. Brobbey started the following match against Germany (a 1-0 defeat in Munich), with Zirkzee replacing him in the 75th minute. Neither man fully staked their claim in the starting XI going forward.
Rasmus Hojlund played only 12 minutes in Denmark’s 1-0 defeat against Spain, with interim head coach Lars Knudsen making the surprising move to play Kasper Dolberg up front. Hojlund then featured for 57 minutes against Switzerland in a 2-2 draw (Denmark’s second fixture was viewed as the more winnable Nations League match and changes were made accordingly). It was a tricky international break in front of goal for the 21-year-old, but the view in his homeland is he will improve if given time to regain match fitness and consistency for United. Hojlund also used the period to talk to the Danish newspaper BT.
“I have become much better at taking care of my body. On that front, I have really taken a step up while I have been injured,” said the striker. “Diogo (Dalot) is Mr Mini Cristiano, and he and I listen to him. He is very curious about how Cristiano Ronaldo does it, and he is very interested in new technologies — ice baths before training and so on.”
Hojlund admitted he is not yet at 100 per cent match sharpness, but he cited ice baths and oxygen therapy (United installed a hyperbaric chamber at their Carrington training centre two years ago) as helping him approach peak physical condition.
Matthijs de Ligt didn’t get a game against Germany (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
The steady Eddies
Andre Onana started both Cameroon’s victories over Kenya in AFCON qualifiers. The goalkeeper has re-established himself within his national team’s setup following Marc Brys’ appointment as head coach in the spring. Cameroon look like favourites to qualify and then challenge to win the tournament, which will be held in Morocco in December 2025 and January 2026.
Academy prospect James Scanlon featured in Gibraltar’s two games, playing 77 minutes in a 1-0 victory against San Marino and then the full 90 in a goalless draw with Liechtenstein. The 18-year-old can play either on the wing or in attacking midfield.
Manuel Ugarte played the entirety of Uruguay’s 1-0 defeat to Peru but had to be taken off towards the end of their 0-0 draw against Ecuador due to a suspected injury to his right thigh. (Head here for more about the friction between those around the national team and head coach Marcelo Bielsa.)
Diogo Dalot put in a solid performance in Portugal’s 3-1 victory against Poland to start the international break. Restored to his favoured right-back position and instructed by coach Roberto Martinez to hug the touchline and offer width, the 25-year-old helped his side when both defending and attacking. Dalot was then an unused substitute in the following game — a 0-0 draw with Scotland in Glasgow, with Joao Cancelo taking his place in the starting XI.
The mainstays
Bruno Fernandes assisted Bernando Silva’s opening goal as Portugal beat Poland in Warsaw and was one of Martinez’s top performers over this international break. Their ensuing goalless evening in Scotland was not for Fernandes’ lack of trying in the final third. United’s captain was his typical busy self at Hampden Park, making two key passes and having a great effort on goal (that was saved), but also losing possession 17 times. Portugal might not ever become “Fernandes’ team”, but he does have a way of making their good performances better.
Fernandes played 90 minutes against Scotland on Tuesday (Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images)
Christian Eriksen added to his record caps total for Denmark, playing 73 minutes against Spain as an attacking midfielder behind Dolberg in a 3-4-2-1. However, it was noted that his set-piece delivery — so often a key tool for how Denmark attack — was not at its best.
Following the game, Eriksen spoke to the Danish newspaper Bold. “Physically and football-wise, I’m fine,” he said. “The talk when I came into the last (international) session with very few minutes was that it was a problem and now (it’s that) I may have almost played too many minutes. It has been great for me to get some minutes continuously, and get some flow, so that I am, again, a player who can play every three days.”
The 32-year-old moved back into a central midfield pivot next to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in Switzerland, where he first provided an assist for Gustav Isaksen, before scoring himself in the second half.
“Most people are surprised at how Eriksen has fought his way back into favour,” Danish journalist Kristian Porse tells The Athletic. “Many were puzzled that he didn’t leave United in the transfer window because the prospect of playing time seemed poor. But he has, as he so often does, proved his critics wrong — and he gets a lot of credit for that. He played a great game against Switzerland. He seems to be hungry.”
(Top photo: Christian Eriksen after scoring against Switzerland; Fabrice Coffini/AFP via Getty Images)
