When Gareth Southgate announced his England squad in September, the only Manchester United player included was Harry Maguire and many were not convinced that the 29-year-old centre-back should have even been part of the squad at all.
Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho all were dropped due to a combination of injuries and form. So therefore if Maguire wasn't included, United would not have a representative in their national team.
With Maguire then dropping out of the United squad in favour of a partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, it seemed like come November when England were heading to Qatar, United may not have many players on the plane.
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But over the course of the past few months, United's fortunes have changed as the players have started adapting more to Ten Hag's style of play. And now when Southgate names his squad he is going to have some decisions to make.
Firstly Luke Shaw has been in excellent form since he regained fitness and returned to the United squad. He will be England's best option at left-back it is likely he will not only be on the plane but be starting in the team's first fixture against Iran.
Rashford has also been in great form in recent weeks as he has spent time playing in the striker role and on the left wing. He has seven goals and three assists in 13 appearances and given that Raheem Sterling is struggling at Chelsea, many fans believe he should be starting alongside Harry Kane in Qatar.
The 25-year-old has also added a lot to his game this season which would benefit England. His movement and interpretation of space will be necessary to break down the low blocks that teams like Iran and Wales will employ and in recent weeks he has improved his heading ability, scoring two brilliant goals against Sheriff Tiraspol and West Ham United.
Maguire will get some game time due to Varane's unfortunate injury and he may also be able to secure his place in Southgate's starting plans for Qatar, but Sancho may have to work harder to gain his seat as in recent weeks he has struggled.
Ten Hag, like all managers, will no doubt be concerned about the timing of the World Cup due to the fixture congestion that the competition has caused, but he will also accept that it is a great honour for his players to go to Qatar.
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