5 Manchester United Players to Watch on International Duty Week of October 6

There are many Manchester United fans for whom the international break is an unwelcome distraction from the business of the domestic campaign.

Of course, there are also fans who will wholeheartedly support their national teams. However, for those of us who need a bit more of a Red Devils’ tint on international breaks, here are five United players to keep a close eye on as they represent their countries.

Wayne Rooney

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United’s captain will not represent his club in the month of October. His poorly executed professional foul on Stewart Downing got him a three-match ban from club football, but that, of course, does not apply at international level.

Rooney will presumably be captaining England at Wembley against San Marino on Thursday and away in Estonia on Sunday.

It will be interesting to see how his ongoing development as a captain is served by his England role. It is fair to say that he has not had a sterling start to his time as United captain, in terms of his ability to positively influence his teammates.

However, he is new to the role, and he needs time and experience to grow into it. Two fixtures which should be fairly straightforward for England will be good practice for Rooney’s leadership skills.

Robin van Persie

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Robin van Persie has had a slow start to his United season, but his last couple of performances have shown signs of improvement.

Following Netherlands’ defeat to Czech Republic in September, it is important for Van Persie et al that their results against Kazakhstan and Iceland are better. Kazakhstan at home should, in theory, offer Van Persie the chance to make an impact on the scoresheet.

Iceland will be a tougher test, and his country will need Van Persie to be at something approaching his best. United fans will be eagerly hoping to see him perform to a high level, and to come back injury-free.

There are already rumours that his fitness is under strain, with the website of Dutch football magazine Voetbal International saying Van Persie missed training on Tuesday (h/t Squawka.com).

Daley Blind

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Van Persie’s countryman has swiftly become an important player for United. Since Blind came into the United side, the Red Devils’ record is won three and lost one. Blind is obviously not single-handedly responsible for these results, far from it, but he has been a key player.

Blind and Ander Herrera have formed a fine midfield partnership, offering Angel Di Maria a platform on which to build his fantastic attacking play. In Herrera’s absence, Blind marshalled a midfield of himself, Di Maria and Valencia through a hard fought victory over Everton.

Blind’s limitations may have been somewhat exposed during the collapse against Leicester, but the good things about his game—his composure, his passing, his movement and his tackling in particular—have all been demonstrated in abundance so far.

It is vital for United that Blind returns from international duty in one piece.

Angel Di Maria

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Whether or not he was a United player, any excuse to watch Di Maria play football is worth using.

That he is playing for United, and that he will be taking part in a friendly between Argentina and their archrivals Brazil on Saturday, makes it an all-the-more mouth-watering prospect.

Di Maria has started his United career in fine form, scoring three times and providing three assists. He was electrifying the last time he turned out for Argentina, dominating proceedings in their 4-2 victory over world champions Germany.

He has been taken to the hearts of the Old Trafford faithful, and there will be plenty of United interest in Argentina’s friendly. 

The international break will involve a lot of travel for Di Maria, which is obviously less-than-ideal for Louis van Gaal, but if Di Maria puts on the kind of show he is capable of performing, it will be well worth watching.

Marcos Rojo

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With United’s defensive injury crisis reaching new heights following Paddy McNair’s hamstring injury, Van Gaal will be hoping with every fibre of his being that Rojo survives the round-trip to the Far East in one piece.

Rojo has been quietly impressive operating as the senior man in a central-defensive partnership with McNair in United's past two games. It will be intriguing to see how he is deployed for his national team and whether he can maintain his form in spite of the impact of all that travel.