It has already been a productive week for Manchester United, but that could all change when they travel to face Sheffield United this weekend. Erik ten Hag's side will mark their return from the international break on Saturday night and will be well aware that they can't take anything for granted, even against a side still winless in the Premier League.

You only have to go back to the last meeting between the two sides as the perfect warning, when the bottom-of-the-table Blades turned up to Old Trafford and defeated a title-chasing United.

United are still on a high after Scott McTominay's heroic brace to seal a 2-1 win over Brentford last time out, but they will still need a marked improvement if they are to avoid more dropped points.

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Ten Hag could try to motivate his players by making a few ruthless selection decisions, although the recent international break has made that task more difficult.

Ahead of the weekend, there was an argument that two of United's most high-profile players should be dropped, given they have not been up to scratch so far this season.

Marcus Rashford has looked devoid of confidence in a United shirt, with just one goal in 11 appearances, with his decision-making in the final third a particular problem. If this Saturday's selection was solely based on club form, then Rashford would be fortunate to start, but there is now an argument for him to keep his place after his international exploits.

Rashford ended his nine-game goal drought for club and country with a sublime strike against Italy on Tuesday night, the type of strike he was scoring on a regular basis last season. Just five minutes after his goal, he was trying his luck again. This time, he collected the ball on the left wing and cut inside before rifling a shot wayward, though it was obvious to see the self-belief surging through his veins again.

The 25-year-old is clearly a confidence player, and after netting such a good goal this week, it no longer makes sense to drop him this weekend, even if he hasn't been good enough in a United shirt.

Ten Hag's other dilemma comes in central midfield, where Casemiro has been a disappointment this season with a string of below-par performances.

Casemiro was particularly poor in the Brentford win and was removed at half-time as United looked for a way back into the game. In the past, there has been a huge reliance on his speciality as a defensive midfielder, though there is now more reason to drop him following the loan signing of Sofyan Armabat.

He would also be fortunate to keep his starting role in Sheffield, though he also saw an international improvement this week when he played the entirety of Brazil's win over Uruguay last night.

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