What Did We Learn From This International Break?

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The international break is over and Manchester United players are returning to the club. The Premier League action will continue as soon as this weekend and the Red Devils will play Watford on Saturday afternoon. But, before the usual frenzy of Man United matches kicks in, we should first take a deeper look at the previous international break.

Sure, it was boring for the most part and many people do not really care about most of the national sides, but these matches, the first international clashes since the World Cup, are intriguing in their own way, as they can teach us something new. That is why there are three things below, things we learned from these international matches. Mostly, they all link to each other very well and plenty of things rely on the previous thing. So let’s dig in.

Marcus Rashford Can Do Great Things At Manchester United

Marcus Rashford scored twice for England in his two matches this September. First, he scored the only goal for England in a 2-1 loss to Spain, thanks to a nice assist from Luke Shaw. The second came against Switzerland, in a friendly match England won 1-0. Basically, it was all about Rashford in these matches.

Which is good, as many Man United fans were maybe starting to think Marcus Rashford’s potential is not going to materialize completely. These two matches showed he can be a great asset in years to come and not just because of goals. People forget Rashford is still yet to turn 21 on the last day of October. Mourinho did not play him all that much, but that could soon change, once his three-match ban is over. He seems to be hitting good form and his confidence could grow exponentially.

Manchester United Could Easily Switch To 3-5-2

This second part is also linked to the part about Marcus Rashford. He showed playing for England he can be a part of a front two. At Manchester, he was either a striker very rarely, or a winger for most of the time. But this would basically be a mixed role of the two. When playing in a 3-5-2, he could roam more, but still play more centrally than he would if he was to play on the left wing. Having a partner in Romelu Lukaku would be a great help, too.

Also, with Jesse Lingard getting used to this system (or a similar 3-4-2-1) playing for England, he could also play as part of a midfield three at Manchester United. It would be similar to a three Mourinho uses when he plays a 4-3-3, with Paul Pogba ahead of a defensive midfielder as well, able to roam forwards. Sure, the problem are the centre-backs for this formation…

Romelu Lukaku Needs Occasional Change Of Role

Lukaku should be used as a forward in a more effective role and that could be used if he was to change things a little bit. Why not play on the right wing occasionally? He did that great at Everton and for Belgium. It would not be a permanent move, but it could be effective. Also, if United were to play in a 3-5-2, Lukaku could also drift towards the right, get himself some space, but also leave his position for other players to run into.

Man United could have plenty of options in these coming months.

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