After the high of the dressing room scenes at Craven Cottage, Manchester United's players went their separate ways as they departed London, with 14 of them swapping the Premier League for a World Cup like no other in Qatar.
It was the perfect full stop to the first half of the season, with unity on display in front of the away end after Alejandro Garnacho's late winner and in the dressing room as the players celebrated a thrillingly-won three points. Even Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't wipe smiles off faces.
Garnacho is one of the few senior players not bound for Qatar and Erik ten Hag called the break a "danger" for the 18-year-old, given the possibility that focus could drift. For the fourteen off to the World Cup, it's a danger of a different kind.
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This is a season that has no precedent, given domestic action will pause for five-and-a-half weeks in United 's case, before the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie with Burnley. There is a build-up of just one week to the World Cup and that fixture with the Clarets will be just two or three days after the final.
A buoyant Ten Hag said the chances were high at least one of his players will return to Carrington a World Cup winner next month and if that's the case, it's safe to say that player won't be in the squad to face Burnley. It would be quite a way to come back down to earth.
In fact, it's unlikely any of the 14 going to the World Cup will be involved in that game. United will head to Cadiz for a week of warm-weather training during what will be the World Cup's third week and it is those players who will be focused on Burnley, before the Premier League resumes for Ten Hag's team on December 27.
- United's World Cup players: Antony, Casemiro, Fred (Brazil), Christian Eriksen (Denmark), Raphael Varane (France), Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford (England), Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Facundo Pellistri (Uruguay), Tyrell Malacia (Netherlands), Lisandro Martinez (Argentina).
Given the complexities of this season, staff at Old Trafford and Carrington had been working on plans around the World Cup for several months, for those going to the tournament and those staying at home. While they have settled on a camp in Spain and two friendlies against La Liga side, United had also drawn up plans for training at Carrington as well.
Head of performance Rich Hawkins has been heavily involved in the forward planning, with club staff aware that the second half of this season could look a lot different to the first half of the campaign. There has never been a winter World Cup before, so nobody knows how the players will be affected, whether they are returning on a high or a low.
The most obvious challenge comes with the physical conditioning of the players. United have good relationships with the national teams that their players are a part of and the medical team will aim to stay in the loop in terms of what players are doing in training and their workloads during the tournament.
That will determine how they are treated on their return and whether they are fit enough to go straight back into a Premier League season. While United will have close control of their players not going to Qatar, the environment will change for those going to the World Cup.
There is an acceptance that World Cup games are not as intense as a Premier League fixture. Players won't necessarily be covering as much ground, or working as hard, but the intense schedule is a challenge, as is the heat compared to what they are leaving behind in the English winter.
In an ideal world, United are hoping to give every player involved in the tournament seven days off before they return to Carrington. For anyone knocked out in the group stages that would mean a probable return after United's week in Cadiz, but there is also an awareness that a full week off might not be possible in every case.
The most challenging cases from a fitness point of view will be those players who go to the World Cup but don't play. Most of United's call-ups can expect to be heavily involved, but if some don't play all that regularly, perhaps Tyrell Malacia, then getting them back up to match fitness will be something that requires careful monitoring at Carrington.
If those issues fall on the medical staff to manage, there is an acceptance from Ten Hag that he will need to be on top of the mental challenges the tournament will deliver. If restoring fitness can be delivered via a carefully constructed plan, restoring belief, or confidence, or happiness might not be so easy.
There will inevitably be players who return to their club unhappy with how their own tournament went. Some will be part of a group that underperformed, maybe they faced criticism for their performances, and some could return having suffered heartbreak in the final, or even semi-finals. All of those issues will need to be carefully managed.
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