When the full-time whistle is sounded at the end of Thursday's Europa League showdown with Sheriff Tiraspol in Moldova, Manchester United will have 17 days to prepare for the derby with Manchester City.
Sunday's scheduled clash with Leeds United at Old Trafford has been postponed due to insufficient policing being available, with thousands of extra police offers set to be redeployed to London ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday. It means United's first international break of the season will commence sooner than expected.
But while several members of the squad will be jetting off to different corners of the globe to link-up with their international colleagues, some players, as well as Erik ten Hag, are expected to remain in Manchester, using the time to reflect on the campaign so far and plan for what lies ahead.
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The short trip across town to the Etihad on October 2 will mark the beginning of a relentless period, with October boasting no less than nine fixtures in the space of just 29 days. It is a period that will push United's players to the very maximum of their physical and mental capabilities.
While the task of navigating nine matches in less than a month promises to put any club under a strain, United have the added task of European football to cope with as well, but fortunately they only have one Europa League away trip to make in October - a visit to Cyprus to face Omonia Nicosia inside the first week. That, though, does not make the task much easier, as the fixtures come thick and fast.
Fortunately, after the trip to Cyprus, three of United's next four matches are at Old Trafford, with their only away trip requiring them to make a short journey along the M62 to face Everton at Goodison Park. That is one element to the middle part of October's schedule that Ten Hag can be grateful for.
Omonia, a week after facing United in Cyprus, will visit Old Trafford, marking the beginning of three successive home games for the Reds, with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur penciled in to visit M16 in the same week. After facing Spurs, United then face back-to-back weekends in London, facing Chelsea and West Ham United, with a Europa League clash at home to Sheriff sandwiched in between.
It promises to be a period that could go a very long way in shaping United's season. Not only will it be a key period in relation to their top-four prospects, facing the likes of City, Chelsea and Spurs, but it will also have a big say in their Europa League aspirations, too, as they play half of their group games in the space of just three weeks.
Such is the demand that will be placed on Ten Hag's players, the Dutchman is going to want to keep the Carrington treatment room as clear as possible; he is going to need every single player available to him, as changes to his starting line-up are going to be inevitable. October will be the first chance for Ten Hag to prove why he has often emphasised the importance of having a big squad.
"We need a full squad with a lot of competition because there are lot of games," said Ten Hag, speaking during the pre-season tour of Australia in July. "In the middle [of the season] there is a World Cup.
"We need a full squad with a lot of competition between the players. We need to push them to a higher level."
With such a short turnaround in between fixtures, with the longest break United are set to have without a game next month standing at just four days, everyone within the squad is going to have to be ready for when Ten Hag calls upon them. He needs everyone to be at the peak of their powers and be ready to step into the ring when needed.
In the last few weeks, Ten Hag has refused to tinker, certainly with his preferred line-up in the Premier League. It has meant that the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fred and Casemiro have all been restricted to limited opportunities.
That, however, will change next month, such is the demand that is going to be put on the squad. October promises to take its toll, but it could also be a window where certain players, if they perform, change Ten Hag's thinking.
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