Manchester United will play their final Premier League fixture against Fulham on Sunday, before the league breaks for the World Cup. Players will then head off to Qatar to compete in the tournament.
But of course, it won't be only United players that will be competing and this will therefore give the club and Erik ten Hag a chance to see how certain players from other clubs compete in the high-pressure environment. With the January window so soon after the tournament finishes on December 18th, how certain players perform could be incredibly important.
To that end who are the four players that United should be keeping tabs on during the tournament with a view to potentially making a bid for them in the future?
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Cody Gakpo
United were linked with a move for Gakpo during the summer, but a transfer never materialised. In an interview with The Times, the Dutch winger did confirm that there were talks: “I was close to leaving, I spoke to Erik ten Hag a few times at Manchester United.
“In the end the deal didn’t go through, which was a shame, for me and my development, and because Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but also for PSV, because to transfer a player to Manchester United is a good thing for the club.
Gakpo has been incredible form for PSV this season, scoring 13 goals and registering 17 assists in 23 games and we likely be a key member of Louis van Gaal's Netherlands squad in Qatar. A good performance could quite easily draw the interest of a number of other clubs in Europe.
Enzo Fernandez
Since his move to Benfica from River Plate this summer, Fernandez has been stealing the headline under Roger Schmidt. He was one of the major reasons that the Portuguese side qualified first in their Champions League group ahead of Paris Saint Germain and given United did not fully solve their midfield issues this summer he could prove to be a cheaper alternative to Jude Bellingham.
Goncalo Ramos
Also plying his trade at Benfica, Ramos has come into his own this season; becoming the main man upfront after the departure of Darwin Nunez. He is a complete forward, able to occupy defenses, link the play up well and he has now become much more deadly in front of goal.
He may not be a guaranteed starter for Portugal in the tournament but if he gets minutes he will show his pedigree.
Jonathan David
Canada's star man and a player United have been linked with in the past. With Cristiano Ronaldo's contract expiring at the end of the season, the club need to start thinking about who will lead the line in the long term and David could be the answer to this question.
David has been in fine form for Lille this season and if he can carry a Canadian team that isn't expected to do much in the tournament he will only boost his reputation further.
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