England manager Gareth Southgate can sometimes bristle when he's asked questions about the national team's Manchester United contingent, knowing that anything he says is likely to become the headline.
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were all part of the England squad that made it to the final of Euro 2020, but with time running out to earn a seat on the plane to Qatar, each has reason to worry about his spot.
Rashford and Sancho are trying to play their way back in after paying the price for a poor year at club level, while Maguire and Shaw are no longer sure of their places at United.
Rashford lost his place in Southgate's squad last season -- a campaign during which he managed just five goals in 32 games. He was not alone in finding it tough at United, as first manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick struggled to get a tune out of a team that were initially tipped to challenge for the title.
Maguire's situation is different from Rashford's in that he kept his place with England despite struggling for form at United. But while Rashford is playing regularly under Ten Hag, Maguire has lost his place in defence after the €57.37 million arrival of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax in the summer.