This coming weekend's Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City will be a close one, so there won't be much room for either team to make excuses. It will have been 17 days since Erik ten Hag's side competed in their most recent game, and it will have been 28 days since they competed in their most recent match at home.

It is possible for games played after a break for international competition to be played at a more leisurely pace; however, this cannot occur in a contest of this magnitude because it will call for the highest possible level of competition. The performance that Manchester United turns in against City on Sunday will serve as the barometer for the hectic month ahead, which will see them compete in nine games and put them through the grueling test of playing two games a week up until the World Cup.

This is a schedule that is sure to put Ten Hag's squad to the test, with a pool of periphery players sure to get a chance in the coming weeks across the various competitions and commitments. This schedule is sure to push Ten Hag's squad to its absolute limits. United will need to go with their best available selection for the match at the Etihad, and unless there is a surprise call, it appears that Ten Hag already has an XI in mind based on recent performances.

The fact that David de Gea and Jadon Sancho were not involved in the recent international matches for their respective nations means that they will be fit to start this weekend's match. A large number of other players have also returned from their time away without suffering any injuries.

The match between Brazil and Tunisia is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night. This means that Antony and Casemiro have one more challenge to overcome before they can head back to Carrington. On the other hand, Lisandro Martinez is expected to play a role in Argentina's match against Jamaica in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Because of this, the three players will have a bit of a race against the clock to get back to Manchester in time for this week's training. However, because Manchester United does not play until Sunday, there is little cause for concern about them being back on time for training because they will be able to participate in sessions on Friday and Saturday before the game.

Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes will both be looking to end the Portugal squad's Nations League campaign on a high note against Spain tonight. Scott McTominay is expected to play for Scotland when they take on Ukraine in Poland on Tuesday night.

In the thrashing victory over Czechia a week ago, Cristiano Ronaldo did not play well at all. However, if either Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial make it back in time from their injuries in time for this weekend's game for United, then he is not even guaranteed to start.

Aside from that, there has already been a quadruple fitness boost thanks to the fact that Raphael Varane, Tyrell Malacia, and Christian Eriksen have all successfully completed their international duties without any issues. Although it was anticipated that Luke Shaw would not start against Man City, he returned to action without suffering an injury and did so on the heels of an encouraging performance for England.

The same cannot be said for club captain Harry Maguire, who not only gave away a penalty and handed the ball to Germany for their second goal, but was also seen limping after the match as he made his way through the inner sanctum of Wembley Stadium.

Since their last game was nearly two weeks ago, Ten Hag has had plenty of time to carefully plan his strategy for this weekend's match against Man City. It is expected that he is already familiar with the lineup that he intends to use at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, and with five days left until the match, five of his starting players have already reported that they are in full physical condition.