There have been two breaks for international fixtures this season and yet no Premier League managers have been sacked,Although the international break is a viewed as good time to change a manager and the pause in the season has claimed many a victim over the years, each club in the league has decided to stick by their manager in mid-October.

It seemed inevitable Paul Heckingbottom would face the axe at Sheffield United and that Manchester United's visit to Bramall Lane at the weekend would have the hallmarks of an upset but he remains in his position.

If Heckingbottom had been sacked and replaced during the international break, the dreaded manager bounce, combined with a Saturday night time kick-off under the floodlights, would have made the match difficult for United.

There is an obvious gulf in class between the three sides who were promoted from the Championship and the rest of the league and Sheffield United, although finishing in the runner-up position last season, have been the worst of that trio.

The Blades have taken just a point from eight league games this season and they are rooted to the foot of the table.

They've also got the worst goal difference and their 8-0 shellacking against Newcastle was an embarrassment.

There were doubts about how Newcastle would perform in that game after playing in the Champions League just a few days prior, but Sheffield United made their lives easy and the scoreline could have been heavier.

Sheffield United are the perfect opposition for a struggling team to regain confidence and Erik ten Hag will want his side to take advantage, especially considering the team's poor away record, when they meet on Saturday night.

United only scored more than two goals in an away league fixture once last season and that was against Manchester City, where the 6-3 scoreline flattered the performance after second-half goals from Antony and Anthony Martial.

The dramatic 2-1 victory against Brentford before the international break must be used as a springboard for momentum and there's a golden opportunity to put the porous Sheffield United to the sword at Bramall Lane.

An unconvincing performance against such poor opposition would be alarming and United need to make a statement.

The team's attackers need to fire and Marcus Rashford will be hopeful of putting an end to his barren run.

Rashford has scored just once this term, against Arsenal in the 3-2 defeat at the Emirates.

That felt like a moment he could kick on from, but he's continued to look short of confidence and ultimately like a different player from last season.

Rashford's every touch and decision has been heavily scrutinised as a consequence of his lack of goals and there have been groans at Old Trafford when he's made errors, which is a sign of fans becoming increasingly frustrated.

The academy graduate enjoyed the best year of his career last term and he became the first United player since Robin van Persie in 2012/13 to reach the 30-goal mark in a season, but he's always been a confidence player.

Rashford blows hot and cold and he's gone through the motions in recent weeks.

He's been desperate to find the back of the net again and he's had a tendency to overplay before cutting a frustrated figure when a chance fizzles out.

When Rashford scores again, which he will imminently because he's continued to get into dangerous areas, the goals should flow and his confidence should return.

That moment can't come soon enough.

He should be relishing the chance to play against at the weekend and scoring twice in that game has the potential to kickstart his campaign, which is important for the sake of results in the coming weeks.

Any team will struggle when their top goalscorer is out of form and Rashford has somehow gone from being regarded as undroppable to facing growing calls for him to be moved to the bench in the space of months.

That inconsistency has prevented Rashford from becoming a world-class talent but he's flirted with achieving that status.

Rashford needs goals and he won't have a better chance of netting in the league than this weekend.

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