Injuries were a running theme of last season and to the horror of many Manchester United fans, this pre-season started in a similar vein.
There wasn’t a single match on the USA tour that the team came out of unscathed, with Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund’s injury vs Arsenal particularly troublesome.
Will Fish was carried off on a stretcher vs Liverpool along with other forced subs, while Marcus Rashford had to shake off a knock vs Real Betis to return to action.
Combine that with a lot of players being on extended holidays after their international commitments, and Erik ten Hag would be forgiven for having a feeling of deja vu for the Manchester Derby in the Community Shield final. Until now…
Erik ten Hag boosted by returns
Just in time for the Community Shield final, Ten Hag has been boosted by the return of key quartet, three of which are arguably first names on the teamsheet.
That is because the last remaining batch of internationals who were on extended holidays returned to Carrington for training today (August 5).
The quartet comprises of Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo, and Facundo Pellistri. Martinez won the Copa America with Argentina, while Shaw and Mainoo went all the way to the final of the Euros.
Pellistri’s Uruguay were eliminated in the semifinals of the Copa America tournament which ended in mid-July.
Ten Hag has had to deal with the phased return of internationals as the likes of Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund, whose Denmark team got eliminated early, traveled to the USA.
While the team was in the USA, players like Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee returned to Carrington, whose teams had gone further in the tournament.
Therefore, Ten Hag hasn’t had the chance to work with the full team at a time which won’t even happen now since Hojlund and Yoro, among others, are injured.
Roll the dice for the final?
The biggest question now is whether the manager will feel comfortable rolling the dice on the returning internationals by throwing them straight in vs City.
They will have had about four days of training and were playing competitive football as little as three weeks ago so they should be match-fit.
In attack, going with Zirkzee is a tantalising option but unlike others, who at least have the experience of playing with these players, the Dutchman will step in as a completely unknown.
Ten Hag has already hinted that he might go with Jadon Sancho as a false striker instead, with Bruno Fernandes also an option.
Six substitutes are allowed in the Community Shield and it is considered a quasi-competitive fixture, basically an extension of the pre-season with somewhat higher stakes.
Ten Hag might choose this game to get some minutes into the legs of returning players, likely off the bench, before unleashing his full cavalry on August 16 in the Premier League opener vs Fulham.
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