Five reasons why the international break has come at the wrong time for Manchester United

Risk of injuries

United can only hope and pray that the likes of Paul Pogba don't get injured on international duty

Jose Mourinho has prided himself in the past - publicly I might add - on his ability to minimise the risk of injury to his players by micromanaging their fitness levels.

But if his players were to sustain damage when they're far away from the hospices of Carrington, what could he possibly do?

Teams play at least twice in quick succession during international breaks and this leads to an increased risk of injury, if not through unfamiliarity of a player's individual fitness needs, then due to the necessity of having him play 180 minutes of high octane football.

And while international managers do tend to be wary of overplaying their wards, instances of players sustaining serious injuries during international duty are way too commonplace for comfort.