Pravir Singh
For most football fans, the International break is a highly frustrating period. From being unable to watch their favourite club at the weekend to the constant worrying whether the players will remain injury free. While the European nations took part in the EURO qualifiers, the American nations had World Cup qualifiers. There were 16 players who went on International duty from Manchester United and this is how they fared.
France being the host nation for EURO 2016 means they have automatically qualified of course. They faced Armenia at the Allianz Riviera in a friendly encounter. Morgan Schneiderlin and Anthony Martial both started on the bench for Les Blues in what was a comfortable 4-0 win. Schneiderlin was brought on for Blaise Matuidi after the hour mark and did a good job influencing proceedings. Martial came on in the second half with the side already 2-0 up. In the 79th minute, he flicked the ball to put Karim Benzema through on goal who was able to finish for their 4th of the evening. However, it was Martial’s performance in their second game that caught everyone’s eye. Making his full debut against Denmark, he assisted Olivier Giroud for France’s first of the evening. He was unable to find the back of the net himself but looked lively throughout the game.
Bastian Schweinsteiger joined up with a German team looking to seal their qualification with a win over Ireland in Dublin. However a shock defeat courtesy a Shane Long goal meant they needed to beat Georgia in their final game. Schweinsteiger missed both games through injury however, he should be fit for United’s trip to Everton.
Paddy McNair was part of the Northern Ireland team that made history in their 3-1 win over Greece. The win ensured they qualified for a major tournament in 30 years. McNair made his competitive start for Northern Ireland however, he did not last the full 90. McNair was once again named in the starting XI for the game against Finland but had to be withdrawn through injury. It seems a serious one as he is being made to stay in hospital in Helsinki for a third night.
Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling were all called up to the England squad. England finished their campaign with a 100% record beating Estonia and Lithuania 2-0 and 3-0 respectively. Rooney, who has been in torrid form, and Michael Carrick missed both games through injury. Smalling played the full 90 minutes against Estonia where he carried forward his good form. Looked solid at the back throughout the game. Phil Jones returned to England XI for the game against Lithuania however he didn’t have much to do in a comfortable 3-0 victory.
David De Gea and Juan Mata helped Spain to victories over Ukraine and Luxembourg. Although De Gea had to watch on from the bench vs Luxembourg, he made a couple of brilliant saves to ensure the lead vs Ukraine. Mata started on the bench in both games but made a positive impact when he was brought on delivering some dangerous set pieces.
Matteo Darmian had two reasons to celebrate following Italy’s wins over Azerbaijan and Norway. Not only did the Azurri seal qualification to EURO 2016, but Darmian scored his first international goal in the 3-1 win versus Azerbaijan.
Daley Blind and Memphis Depay return to Manchester with the Netherlands failing to qualify for EURO 2016. After beating Kazakhstan 2-1 in Astana, they not only had to beat Czech Republic, but also hope for Turkey to drop some points. A 2-3 defeat against the Czechs ended their dreams of France 2016. While both the United men put in decent performances in the win, they had a night to forget versus Czech Republic. Blind was lucky to still be on the pitch and struggled throughout the game. Memphis has been woeful for United so far and that didn’t change.
While Marouane Fellaini was an unused substitute for Belgium’s 4-1 win versus Andorra, he helped them to a 3-1 victory over Israel. The win helped Belgium to climb to first place in the official FIFA rankings.
Ecuador and Antonio Valencia registered two 2-0 victories including a win over Argentina. Valencia was very good over both the games. He was solid in defence and made some brilliant runs down the flanks and provided the assist for Caicedo’s goal against Argentina.
