Some Manchester United players are playing for Premier League places vs Burnley

Man United resume their season with the visit of Burnley in the Carabao Cup fourth round and here are five things to look out for.

Certain starters

Of those absent in Qatar, Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay, Alejandro Garnacho and Anthony Martial are assured of starts this evening. Denmark’s early elimination makes Christian Eriksen a shoo-in.

Erik ten Hag could start two full-backs who were free to leave in the summer in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Brandon Williams. Tyrell Malacia, unused at the World Cup, has still played a competitive match more recently than both.

David de Gea was rested in the previous round against Aston Villa and Tom Heaton, excellent in the friendly defeat to Real Betis earlier this month, is overdue a full debut.

Stronger than expected?

The League Cup represents United’s earliest opportunity to end their trophy drought that is certain to stray close to six years. Burnley are top of the Championship, have lost only twice all season and Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and one of Liverpool and Manchester City are certain to be absent from the quarter-finals.

Nine United players caught flights from Doha airport after the World Cup quarter-finals and Ten Hag has selected strong teams in all seven cup games this season.

Harry Maguire has to start alongside Lindelof in the absence of another senior centre-back and Bruno Fernandes has started in all but two of United’s games this season. Anthony Elanga blunts United’s attack, so Antony or Marcus Rashford could come in.

The Kompany factor

From the 2011 Community Shield until his departure in 2019, Vincent Kompany was only on the pitch for a Manchester derby defeat once – United’s 3-2 title-delaying turnaround in 2018.

The stat is skewed by Kompany’s enforced withdrawal at half-time in City’s 4-2 battering at Old Trafford in 2015 – when he was fortunate not to be expelled for a dangerous tackle on Daley Blind – and another interval exit in the League Cup loss in 2016.

Those removals, and Kompany’s presence for United’s comeback from 2-0 down at the Etihad four-and-a-half years ago, would suggest there was a conscious effort to maintain his aura in derbies. He is not accustomed to losing In M16 and Burnley have inherited his winning mentality, having lost two of their 23 Championship games at the halfway stage.

Warm-up for Forest?

Maguire is effectively assured of starting in the Premier League against Nottingham Forest next Tuesday but a third impressive international tournament is unlikely to quell the naysayers. Maguire has long reserved his finest form for England and, in the eyes of many United fans, he is still their fourth-choice centre-back.

McTominay has not started in the league since the derby debacle on October 2, with Casemiro a demonstrable upgrade. Whenever Diogo Dalot is recovered from his hamstring injury, he will start.

With Jadon Sancho still out of the picture, United have a streamlined attack to pick from and Ten Hag could rotate Garnacho and Rashford over the two-week five-game festive period.

Rookies on the bench?

Ten Hag could name a bench worth £400million but Kobbie Mainoo and Zidane Iqbal are at the front of the queue from the academy to make the matchday squad.

Iqbal, 19, has been on the bench nine times this season and Mainoo, an unused substitute in the goalless draw with Newcastle in October, impressed in his halves against Cadiz and Betis.