Manchester United are back in action on Friday as they take on Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fourth round.
Ralf Rangnick's side had finally started to build some momentum with good wins over Brentford and West Ham but that had to be put on hold due to a two-week winter break.
Most of the squad have enjoyed some time off in the break, though Edinson Cavani, Fred, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly and Hannibal have all been away with their countries on international duty.
Boro's visit affords Rangnick the chance to experiment with his squad ahead of United's return to Premier League competition against Burnley on Tuesday and here are five players that should start at Old Trafford.
Jesse Lingard
With Anthony Martial, Amad and Donny van de Beek allowed to leave on loan in January and Mason Greenwood no longer available, United's attacking options have been greatly reduced going into the final half of the season.
Now United may have to use Lingard, who hasn't started in the league for them in over two years and was told he could leave on loan before the club changed their minds, a lot more regularly than they expected.
The forward must start on Friday so he can get his match sharpness up and so he can be ready when called upon in the Premier League.
Juan Mata has found himself in a similar position and could use minutes on Friday too, but perhaps off the bench.
Paul Pogba
If he's fully fit and ready, Pogba should absolutely start against Boro.
Rangnick was left amazed when the Frenchman returned to training over a week ago, a month ahead of schedule after suffering a thigh injury on international duty in November.
He has continued to train over the break and a return on Friday would be a good opportunity to get back into the swing of things and give United a much-needed boost to their midfield options going into the business end of the race for the top four.
Dean Henderson
Another player who didn't get the loan move he wished for in January is Henderson, as Rangnick decided he wanted to keep him in case anything happens to David de Gea.
It looks unlikely that Henderson will be able to dislodge the Spaniard from between the sticks for the rest of the season but he should at least start in the FA Cup, especially against lower league opposition, to keep his morale as high as possible for the rest of the campaign.
Marcus Rashford
Though most footballers probably enjoyed the last fortnight off, it couldn't have come at a worse time for Rashford.
The striker had just started to find a hot streak of form as he scored two games in a row after going without a goal since October.
Both goals came off the bench as Rashford reacted positively to being dropped but the winter break could have potentially disrupted that momentum.
Now he should return to the starting line-up to give him the best chance of getting the ball back rolling and scoring for a third successive match.
Hannibal or Shola Shoretire
With Anthony Elanga now a regular starter in the first-team, Rangnick should take the opportunity to give another of the club's promising youngsters a chance against Middlesbrough.
Hannibal's African Cup of Nations experience came to an end on Saturday as Tunisia were eliminated by Burkina Faso and he will join first-team training for the rest of the season upon his return.
It's not yet clear if he's back in Manchester and ready to play but he did turn down the chance of a holiday after competing in the Arab Cup for his country in December to return to training and AFCON wasn't too taxing as he only played 67 minutes in two games.
So hopefully the playmaker will be back and able to play for the new manager for the first time, if not then another prospect in Shoretire should be given a chance to shine.
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