The 17 Man Utd first-team players expected to feature in friendlies against Cadiz and Betis - with images

Manchester United recently announced they will travel to Spain during the World Cup break to play a friendly match against La Liga sides Cadiz and Real Betis. The games will take place on 7 December and 10 December, with Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag having a smaller squad than usual.

The Dutchman will be without 14 players for the two fixtures as a result of them representing their nations at the World Cup in Qatar. Noticeable absentees include this season’s top scorer Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, it does mean Ten Hag has the opportunity to maintain match fitness for individuals either not selected for their country, or those whose nation failed to qualify for the competition. Several key players still remain in Manchester during the month-long break and are expected to feature in Spain in December.

The friendly games give Ten Hag the opportunity to assess those still at the club ahead of what could be a busy second half of the campaign for United, especially with the January transfer window not far away. The Dutchman is likely to explore the winter market and make further changes to his squad following a busy summer which saw the arrivals of Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro, Antony and Martin Dubravka.

With that being said, we take a look at the 17 first team players who are in contention to make an appearance against Cadiz and Betis next month. It’s likely Ten Hag will also utilise several members of the Red Devils’ Under-21 squad in Spain.