Manchester United had a rare weekend off ahead of the international break.
It offered interim manager Ralf Rangnick ample time to ponder after their midweek Champions League exit and ahead of the final part of the season. Away from Old Trafford though, plenty of United players got game time at the weekend.
Over the summer, United sent a batch of players out on loan. And a handful of them were despatched to teams in the EFL as they look to continue their development. Here, we look at how they got on during what was a busy weekend across the Championship and Leagues One and Two.
James Garner
The midfielder played the full 90 minutes as Nottingham Forest were edged out by Liverpool 1-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday. Garner caught the eye once again, continuing his fine form since Steve Cooper arrived at the City Ground. Despite being on the losing side,
Garner won plenty of praise from former United and Forest midfielder Roy Keane for his performance against a strong Liverpool team. "He is very good technically and he likes to dictate the play, sits a little bit more," said Keane.
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"Tough game for him today, but this game is good for those young players to experience playing against these top players like Liverpool, it is a great way to learn." Garner has been lavished with praise this season and will now be hoping to continue in similar form and help aid Forest's push for the play-offs.
Tahith Chong
Chong only recently returned from a lengthy lay-off but he posted an impressive performance in Birmingham's goalless Championship meeting with Swansea on Saturday. Chong registered four attempts during the stalemate and made three key passes despite only touching the ball 28 times - the second-lowest tally of Birmingham's starting XI.
He did show some nice glimpses of his ability before fading towards the end. Will be hoping to squeeze as much game time in as possible before the season ends.
Ethan Laird
Laird continues to endure a tough time of it at Bournemouth. He was not in their squad for Saturday's 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town. Laird was in stellar form for Swansea in the first half of the season before United re-despatched him to the Cherries.
But after returning from injury he has played just twice, both times as a substitute. And that has frustrated many Bournemouth fans - who were vocal on social media about his absence - and no doubt Laird too.
Di'Shon Bernard
For the fifth consecutive match, Bernard was an unused substitute as Hull City lost 3-1 at home to in-form Luton Town.
Ethan Galbraith
Midfielder Galbraith posted another 90 minutes for struggling League One side Doncaster Rovers on Saturday. They drew 0-0 at Fleetwood Town. It was only Galbraith's second start in two months after he suffered an injury earlier in the year.
Reflecting on his loan spell recently, Galbraith spoke about what has been a challenging season: "It’s been a great experience. It shows, when you’re in this position, who will be with you in the trenches. Everyone in the team has got that spirit. It’s been a massive learning experience and I’ll take the bad with the good."
Nathan Bishop
Goalkeeper Bishop had a weekend off after Mansfield's home game with Stevenage was called off due to a Covid outbreak in the away camp.
