Manchester United players are now all around the world, some of them still in England but many of them around Europe and Africa, playing matches for national sides. International duty for March is a tough one, with three gameweeks to be played in UEFA qualifiers for the World Cup in Qatar.
This means every team is set to play three matches and the first round of matches has been played already. We will look at each of these matchdays separately during this week, in order to closely follow how the players have fared. Also, this international break is a little bit different due to the fact South American qualifiers are not being played, because of the coronavirus crisis and travel restrictions.
Here is how all the players from Man United who were in action fared for their national sides.
Donny van de Beek – Netherlands
It has not been a great season for Van de Beek at Man United and now it has not been great in his first match on international duty in 2021. Netherlands shocked their fans with 4-2 loss in Turkey, while Van de Beek did not feature in the team, sitting out this one on the bench.
Daniel James – Wales
Wales also started their campaign with a loss, but against a mighty Belgium. Daniel James played all 90 minutes in a 3-1 loss, featuring on the left wing, having two shots off target throughout.
Paul Pogba and Martial – France
Well, that was a shock – world champions France managed to get just a point in a 1-1 draw against Ukraine. Both Pogba and Martial came off the bench in the second half, with the former playing 30 minutes and the latter less than 20 minutes.
Bruno Fernandes – Portugal
Portugal got a 1-0 win against Azerbaijan after a first half own goal, with Bruno Fernandes performing well in the second half of the match. Our number 10 played just 45 minutes, as there will be more action for Portugal in coming days.
The England Crew
England have had an easy job of beating San Marino 5-0. None of the Manchester United players currently at the club were in action against a weak opponent, as Dean Henderson, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw all stayed on the bench. However, Jesse Lingard, loaned to West Ham, played full 90 minutes and he impressed with an assist.
Scott McTominay – Scotland
Scotland did well to get a 2-2 draw against Austria in a match where they trailed with 10 minutes to go. McTominay played full 90 minutes and did well in central midfield ahead of a back three Scotland have used.
David De Gea – Spain
Spain shocked everyone with their 1-1 draw against Greece at home, but David de Gea was not part of that game, as Luis Enrique gave chance to Unai Simon in goal.
Victor Lindelof – Sweden
Sweden needed to start things off properly in a match against Georgia and they did just enough. A 1-0 win came courtesy of a goal assisted by the incredible Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while Victor Lindelof did well in defence, being part of a defence which earned a clean-sheet.
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