Manchester United must make selfish decision during international break after Premier League warning

Manchester United must make a selfish decision during this international break after a warning during the start of the Premier League campaign.

The Reds have had a rocky start to the new season, with only one Premier League win in their first three games.

A challenging 3-0 loss to rivals Liverpool on Sunday came after a last-minute defeat to Brighton last weekend.

While the opening win against Fulham showed some promise, Erik ten Hag’s team still has a lot of room for improvement.

One thing noticed during these opening games was how much work Kobbie Mainoo was doing in the centre of midfield.

The 19-year-old completed in 57 duels across the three games and looked physically drained in the latter stages against Brighton and Liverpool.

His role in midfield has been demanding and made more difficult since he had minimal rest over the summer after competing at Euro 2024 with England.

Coming straight back into the team, this international break should provide the youngster with an opportunity to rest up ahead of a testing September schedule onwards.

Instead, he has joined up with the England squad for UEFA Nations League fixtures against Ireland and Finland.

Mainoo is an absolutely key player for Erik ten Hag’s side right now, and the club must try to protect his workload. He has essentially not stopped since making his full Premier League debut against Everton in November last year.

The last time a key United player entered an international break with some issues was Marcus Rashford in March 2023. The forward pulled out of the England squad with a small injury and was flying for United at the time.

While such a move would generate some criticism, it is undoubtedly more understandable for a 19-year-old who has played a bucketload of football in the last ten months.

A potential solution could be for Mainoo to remain with England but have more limited game-time. Opportunities for newcomers Morgan Gibbs-White or United academy graduate Angel Gomes are there.

For the benefit of club and country, they must take sensible measures with Mainoo, who needs to be refreshed when United returns to the hectic footballing schedule post-international break.

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