Ten Hag warns World Cup champions

"Martinez is still celebrating in Argentina. I can understand his feelings. Winning the World Cup for his country is the most uplifting feeling. But Martinez needs to understand that, on December 27, the Premier League will return. with Man Utd," Ten Hag said.

Martinez was one of 26 members of the Argentina team that won the 2022 World Cup on December 18. The 24-year-old centre-back is still at home enjoying the festive atmosphere, and Man Utd will not have Martinez's services when they take on Nottingham Forest in the round of 16 of the Premier League on the evening of December 27.

Not only Martinez, another key midfielder of Man Utd - Raphael Varane - is also on break after reaching the World Cup final with France.

"Of course, Varena is disappointed because he lost the match. But he can be proud of reaching the final. What Varane has achieved in his career has been great," Ten Hag encouraged his students.

On December 21, Ten Hag had to deal with the absence of two central defenders by pulling Casemiro to partner Victor Lindelof, in a 2-0 win over Burnley in the fourth round of the League Cup.

According to Ten Hag, every player knows the tournaments will return five or six days after the World Cup. So he asked his students to be ready. The Dutch coach is impatient because Man Utd has not returned to the same spin as before. Ten Hag said that during the World Cup break, he and his associates worked to devise a training plan for each player based on age, position and eagerness to implement.