Jose Mourinho sarcastically branded referee Clement Turpin "one of the best in the world", following his dismissal during Fenerbahce's draw with former club Manchester United.

The Turkish side earned a share of the spoils in Istanbul, where Youssef En-Nesyri was on target in the second half to cancel out Christian Eriksen's earlier effort.

Although, it could have been more for the hosts, who saw a penalty appeal waved away after Manuel Ugarte collided with Bright Osayi-Samuel.

Mourinho was sent to the stands for his furious reaction to the challenge, and the former United boss lifted the lid on his interaction with French official Turpin later in the referee's room.

"I watched the incident back, and I don't want to speak about it," he told TNT Sports.

"He told me something incredible. He told me that at the same time, he saw the action in the box and my behaviour. I congratulate him, it's incredible - his peripheral vision!

"He had one eye on the penalty situation and one eye on my behaviour on the bench – that's why he's one of the best referees in the world!"

Nevertheless, Mourinho was full of praise for his players following their performance, after they took their points tally to five after the opening three matchdays.

"They got a point against us, not us against them," he added. "We played amazingly. I told the players: 'if we play like this in the Turkish league, we will destroy every single team'.

"The Premier League has more quality, more intensity, more pace, more everything. 

"In England, you'll probably talk about one or two players from United who didn't play. You don't know how many of our players didn't play, we had injuries. We had to solve an amazing puzzle.

"My boys played an amazing match. We had a phenomenal performance. My goalkeeper didn't make a save."

Manchester United got their Europa League campaign off to an underwhelming start as FC Twente fought back to draw 1-1 at Old Trafford.

Christian Eriksen opened the scoring on Wednesday with a fine finish beyond Lars Unnerstall, before giving the ball away cheaply to allow Sam Lammers to ensure a share the spoils at Old Trafford. 

The hosts almost found themselves a goal behind early on when Lammers failed to turn home Bart van Rooij's inviting delivery with Andre Onana well beaten. 

But Erik ten Hag's side took control and got the goal their dominance merited, with Eriksen rifling a fierce strike into the roof of the net for only his sixth United goal. 

However, against the run of play, the visitors drew level when Eriksen turned into trouble, with Lammers picking the Dane's pocket before finishing at the near post. 

Twente had their goalkeeper to thank in preserving their point late on, with Unnerstall producing a remarkable save to keep out Harry Maguire's deflected header. 

Data Debrief: United's European struggles continue

While Eriksen endured an indifferent game at Old Trafford, the midfielder became the third Danish player to score for the Red Devils in major European competition, along with Peter Schmeichel and Rasmus Hojlund, on his 100th European appearance. 

However, United have now failed to win their opening major European match in each of the last four seasons, losing in 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 and now drawing on Wednesday.

Ten Hag's side have also struggled when scoring the first goal in Europe, winning just one of their last six matches in the Champions League and Europa League when opening the scoring. 

Marcus Rashford was on target again with a double as Manchester United demolished third-tier Barnsley 7-0 at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup third round.

Rashford had scored his first goal since mid-March in Saturday's Premier League victory at Southampton, after which Erik ten Hag predicted more would follow.

And the United manager was quickly proven right as Rashford grabbed the first and fifth goals on Tuesday, helping to fire the Red Devils into the last 16 of the EFL Cup.

Rashford, who netted in United's final victory over Newcastle United in this competition two seasons ago, appeared full of confidence after 16 minutes as he brought down Alejandro Garnacho's crossfield pass, skipped past Marc Roberts and blasted into the top corner.

The exiled England international was not alone among United's under-fire forwards in enjoying a productive game in front of goal either, with Antony getting his first of the season by winning and converting a penalty.

It was three on the stroke of half-time as Garnacho prodded in after Rashford was tackled in the area, and the excellent Argentina winger scored again shortly after the restart.

Rashford raced onto another Garnacho pass and finished coolly just before the hour mark, before Christian Eriksen added a late brace of his own.

Data Debrief: He shoots, he scores

It was hard to foresee Rashford's three-goal week prior to the Southampton match – primarily because the United number 10 was not shooting, let alone scoring.

Rashford appeared in United's first three Premier League matches of the season without even attempting a shot, but Barnsley's goal was subjected to target practice on Tuesday as his confidence returned.

Those two Rashford goals came from six attempts, including five from inside the box as he thrived in a central striking role after so often toiling on the left wing.

Christian Eriksen says he is in "no rush" to decide his future despite going into the final year of his contract at Manchester United.

Eriksen joined the Red Devils in 2022, making 28 appearances in the Premier League in his first season, though an injury in January 2023 put a halt to his impressive start to life at Old Trafford.

Following Kobbie Mainoo's breakout season last year, Eriksen dropped down the pecking order at United as he made just 12 starts in his 22 league appearances, scoring just once and assisting two goals.

Some reports suggest Eriksen could be heading out on loan to former club Ajax for the final year of his contract, but he insisted he is satisfied in Manchester.

"I am really happy at United," he said. "I have had two very good years and am going into my third.

"It is a special club and a special place. Also, my family is settled in Manchester, so I am in no rush.

"Obviously, I want to play as much as possible and do everything I can. But that is nothing to do with the club - it is up to you and the manager.

"But in terms of how I feel, I feel very good at United."

Christian Eriksen acknowledges "it doesn't get any bigger" for Denmark as they prepare to take on host nation Germany in the Euro 2024 round of 16.

Kasper Hjulmand's side, who reached the Euro 2020 semi-finals, are appearing in the knockout stages of successive European Championships for the first time, having finished as Group C runners-up behind England.

Eriksen played a key role as the Danes went unbeaten in their opening three matches.

The Manchester United midfielder scored against Slovenia, and became the first Denmark player to register 10 or more shots (10) and create 10 or more chances (13) in a single edition of a major tournament.

Denmark have lost all five of their previous European Championship matches against the host nation, though they do boast fond memories of their victory over Germany in the 1992 final.

"I'm really looking forward to it," Eriksen said. "A knockout game against Germany in Germany; it doesn't get any bigger than that.

"A lot of people seem to think that we've lost already, so we can play freely and give our all. I'm looking forward to showing that we can rub shoulders [with the best teams] in this tournament.

"I believe we can beat the Germans, but many things will have to come together for us."

Eriksen has also become Denmark's most-capped player after taking his tally of senior international appearances to 133 - one ahead of team-mate Simon Kjaer.

"I'm very proud to have won so many international caps," the 32-year-old added. "It's a bit of a strange feeling because a lot of the players who are up there are all-time greats of Danish football.

"To be there alongside them is something I will look upon fondly when I'm done playing, with a big smile on my face."

England know that the last 16 of Euro 2024 is within touching distance as they head into a reunion with Denmark.

The Three Lions beat the Danes in the semi-finals at Euro 2020, coming from behind to win 2-1 after extra time.

Harry Kane was England's hero as he converted a penalty winner, though spot-kicks would of course go on to prove to be their downfall in the final against Italy.

There is less on the line when England face Denmark again on Thursday, though Gareth Southgate's team will progress to the knockout stage should they win.

Here, we use Opta data to preview the Group C clash.

What's expected?

England are forecasted to win this one, with the Opta supercomputer handing them a 54.5 per cent chance of getting the job done in Frankfurt.

Denmark are sure to be no pushovers, though, and have a 20.6 per cent win likelihood, with the draw threat at 25 per cent.

This will be the fourth encounter between Denmark and England at a major tournament. Three of those will have come at the Euros, and one at the 2002 World Cup.

Denmark won none of the previous three meetings (D1 L2), scoring only one goal in the process, Mikkel Damsgaard's free-kick in the semi-final of Euro 2020.

There have only been five goals scored in the last four meetings between Denmark (two) and England (three) in all competitions.

Meanwhile, the Three Lions only had 12 touches in Serbia's box in their 1-0 win on MD1, their lowest total of touches in the opposition box in a European Championship game since 2012 against Ukraine (also 12).

Indeed, the England v Serbia match saw only 11 shots (five for England, six for Serbia) – that tally is the lowest on record in a European Championship match, fewer than every one of the other 322 matches in the competition since 1980.

England have also kept a clean sheet in each of their last five group-stage matches at the European Championship finals, the longest such run in the competition's history.

So, this game is probably not one to expect too many goals in.

Bellingham a safe bet but can Foden and Kane flourish?

Jude Bellingham came into Euro 2024 with the pressure and hype ramped right up. He is the face of this England squad, and there is an onus on him to deliver.

Well, he started on the right foot, scoring in the 13th minute on Sunday to seal that 1-0 victory over Serbia.

Bellingham displayed the kind of chance-sniffing instinct he has demonstrated so brilliantly during his first season at Real Madrid, getting on the end of Bukayo Saka's deflected cross and powering home with his head.

Having become the first player to play at two European Championship tournaments before the age of 21, he is also the second England player to score at two major tournaments before turning 21 (also scored vs Iran at the 2022 World Cup), along with Michael Owen, who scored at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

Bellingham was crucial in every aspect against Serbia. He led England for touches (93), while only Declan Rice (81) and Kyle Walker (77) attempted more passes than the 20-year-old, who also competed in a team-leading 16 duels, winning 10 of them, and was successful with two of his three tackles.

Southgate's system seems designed to allow Bellingham to flourish, though has that come at the expense of Phil Foden?

The Manchester City star struggled when he did find space against Serbia, though there is perhaps a case that the Premier League Player of the Year is being shoehorned in out of position, too.

Kane, meanwhile, had just two touches in the opening 45 minutes, before finishing with 24 – exactly half that of Jordan Pickford and the lowest of any England outfielder who started the match. The Bayern Munich striker did have a header tipped onto the crossbar, but that was his only chance of the game. Southgate needs to get him more service.

England average 1.9 goals per game under Southgate at major tournaments, the best ratio of any Three Lions boss, but there could be so much more to come from this star-studded attack.

Christian the Great (Dane)

Christian Eriksen scored his maiden goal at the European Championship in Denmark's 1-1 draw with Slovenia.

At 32 years and 123 days old, he became the oldest Dane to score at the Euros and oldest at a major tournament since 33-year-old Jon Dahl Tomasson at the 2010 World Cup.

It was a clever run and deft finish from the Manchester United playmaker, who created seven chances from set-pieces in the match, the most by a player in a European Championship fixture since Gary McAllister in 1992 for Scotland against Germany (eight).

Getting Eriksen into dangerous positions has to be the gameplan for Kasper Hjulmand's team, who completed 583 passes and enjoyed an 89 per cent passing accuracy against Slovenia, both record highs for the Danes that Opta has on record (since 1980) at the European Championship.

Despite their run to the last four three years ago, Denmark have won just one of their last six group stage games at the Euros (D1 L4), beating Russia 4-1 at Euro 2020 to ensure qualification to the round of 16.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Denmark - Rasmus Hojlund 

Eriksen will be the one England have to stop influencing the match in midfield, but John Stones and Marc Guehi – should they start – will have to be on high alert to keep Man United's Hojlund under wraps, too.

He only had one shot against Slovenia, which he did get on target, but he is a quality finisher and can certainly do some damage.

England - Phil Foden

Foden created just one chance in a subdued performance against Serbia, but there can be no doubting his quality.

Get him more involved, and in fairness, Foden has to sharpen up when he does get on the ball, and England will surely have far too much for Denmark's defence.

Day three at Euro 2024 brought plenty of action.

Jude Bellingham was the main man for England as the Three Lions beat Serbia 1-0.

Earlier in the day, Denmark drew 1-1 with Slovenia, and the Netherlands came from behind to beat Poland.

But there was also plenty of action on social media, and not just on the pitch. Here, we round up the best posts from Euro 2024.

Wolfpack

Bellingham celebrated his goal for England with Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the pair debuted a new "wolf" celebration.

They embraced before they each got down on one knee and placed a hand over their face.

Explaining the celebration, Bellingham told BBC Sport: "When we play Wolf, one of the staff loves that face when he doesn't have a clue what's going on! So that was kind of, a little group celebration for the wolf crew!"

Man on a mission

Bellingham may have grabbed the headlines, but Declan Rice was vital for England in midfield.

Indeed, only Bellingham (92) had more touches than Rice (90), while the Arsenal man led the team for passes (81), accurate passes (78) and interceptions (two, along with Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker).

And the official England account made sure to give Rice some love. 

Harry Haaland?

At half-time in the England match, pundit and former Three Lions defender Jamie Carragher posted on X that Harry Kane was "playing the Haaland role".

By that point, Kane had only touched the ball twice, and the captain would go on to finish with 24 touches, exactly half the amount of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who ranked 10th in that metric of the 11 England players to start the game.

Carragher suggested that, like Erling Haaland at Manchester City, Kane was being instructed to stay high and wait for the ball to come to him, though does not feel that role suited him.

Kane, who was making his record-breaking 23rd appearance for England at a major tournament, nearly scored in the second half, but saw a header saved onto the crossbar.

How to save a life

A genius idea in the fan zones in Germany, is that there are CPR training units set up, so that supporters can learn the basics if they need to act quickly.

UEFA broadcast this on their official account.

Eriksen's emotional Euros return

The need for CPR training is only hit home when thinking about Christian Eriksen.

June 12 marked the third anniversary of Eriksen collapsing on the pitch in Copenhagen, during Denmark's opening game of Euro 2020.

Thankfully, and due to the swift actions of the medical staff that day, Eriksen survived the cardiac arrest he suffered, and on Sunday, matters came full circle as the 32-year-old scored his nation's opening goal against Slovenia.

Dress sense

Some managers go for a tracksuit. Others go for a smart casual look. Plenty wear a suit.

Poland boss Michal Probierz falls into the latter category, but he made sure to stand out with his bold choice in Sunday's clash with the Dutch.

Probierz went for an eye-catching tweed waistcoat and a brown blazer, drawing the attention of the Men In Blazer's X account, and in turn, their post was picked up by Poland's official team account too. 

What do you think of the look?

Memphis' new look

Speaking of making a statement, Memphis Depay is not exactly shy when it comes to what he wears.

And for Euro 2024, it would appear the Netherlands' forward has a new look, with the 30-year-old donning a headband.

It's usually a look reserved for basketball, not football, but Depay will do what Depay wants to do. Not that it greatly helped his performance levels. The former Manchester United attacker had four shots, but didn't get any of them on target.

England had to hold out against Serbia, with Jude Bellingham's early goal proving enough for the Three Lions to claim a 1-0 win on Sunday.

That kick-started their Group C campaign, and a win over Denmark, who drew 1-1 with Slovenia earlier in the day, will see England progress to the last 16.

Elsewhere, the Netherlands overcame Poland 2-1 thanks to Wout Weghorst's late strike.

Using Opta data, we provide a run-down of the best statistics from day three of Euro 2024.

Serbia 0-1 England: Bellingham the main man for clean sheet kings

England were not exactly free-flowing for much of their clash with Serbia, but Gareth Southgate's team got the job done.

Bellingham was his hero, as he became just the second player ever to score at both the World Cup and Euros before turning 21, after compatriot Michael Owen.

Indeed, Bellingham is the first player to score for the Three Lions at both the World Cup and European Championships while playing his club football outside of England.

Finally, he became the first player to score for England at both the World Cup and Euros while playing his club football outside of England.

Yet it was at the other end that England had to hold their nerve.

Their defence has been questioned ahead of Euro 2024, but England have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last five group stage matches at the European Championships, the longest such run in the competition's history.

Indeed, England have won their opening game in all four of their major tournaments played under Southgate (Euro 2020 and 2024, World Cup 2018 and 2022), just one fewer such victory than across their other 23 major tournament appearances (W5 D11 L7).

Jordan Pickford pulled off a fine save late on to deny Dusan Vlahovic. The Everton star was making his 20th appearance for his country at a major tournament, a joint record for a Three Lions goalkeeper, matching Peter Shilton.

England would have been home and hosed if Harry Kane had not seen a header tipped onto the crossbar. The Bayern Munich star was making his 23rd appearance at a major tournament, seeing him become the outright leader in that regard for the Three Lions.

It was by no mean's a classic. In fact, this game featured just 11 shots, which is the lowest on record in a Euros game.

Slovenia 1-1 Denmark: Eriksen runs the show but Janza haunts the Danes

Christian Eriksen put the traumatic events of Euro 2020 firmly behind him as he scored in Denmark's opening match against Slovenia.

That was the 32-year-old's first goal at the Euros, as he became the oldest Dane to score for the nation at the tournament.

Eriksen created seven chances from set plays versus Slovenia, the most by a player in a game at the Euros since Scotland's Gary McAllister in 1992 v Germany (eight).#

Ultimately, though, Denmark could not get over the line, with Erik Janza rifling in a 77th-minute equaliser.

Janza has now scored three goals for Slovenia (11 appearances) with all three of his goals coming in competitive fixtures and with two of his three goals coming against Denmark.

Kasper Schmeichel may well have saved Janza's shot if it had not had taken a deflection on its way through.

Schmeichel, at the age of 37 yers and 224 days, became the second oldest player to play for Denmark at the European Championship finals (behind Morten Olsen - 38y 308d) and the oldest goalkeeper, overtaking his father Peter (36y 216d).

Slovenia are yet to win a match at the Euros (D3 L1), with their four fixtures the most any nation has played in the competition without recording a single victory, but this result keeps their hopes firmly alive.

Remarkably, all 10 of Denmark's starting outfielders recorded a shot in this match, only the third time a team has seen each of their outfield starters do so on record at the Euros (since 1980) after England v Spain in 1996 and the Netherlands v Italy in 2000.

Defender Andreas Christensen completed all of his 89 passes, meanwhile. It is the most passes any player has made while maintaining a 100 per cent accuracy in a match on record at the Euros.

Poland 1-2 Netherlands: Weghorst makes his point

Former Manchester United attacker Weghorst was not happy to be left out of Ronald Koeman's line-up, but he made sure to make his mark when he came on against Poland.

Weghorst scored the fastest goal by a Netherlands substitute at the European Championships, netting the winning goal of the game just two minutes and 18 seconds after coming off the bench.

His winner came after Cody Gakpo had restored parity in Hamburg. The Liverpool forward has scored in all four of his group stage starts for the Netherlands at major tournaments, and has now found the net in his first start at both the World Cup and European Championships.

Adam Buska put Poland ahead in the 16th minute, becoming just the fourth player for the country to score on his debut at the European Championships, after Robert Lewandowski (2012), Arkadiusz Milik (2016) and Karol Linetty (2021).

The Netherlands were ultimately decent value for their win, having had 21 shots – their most in a game at a major tournament (World Cup/EUROs) since 2012 against Denmark (32), although they did only accumulate 1.47 expected goals.

Christian Eriksen paid little mind to the traumatic events of three years ago, as he opened Denmark's account at Euro 2024.

June 12 marked the third anniversary of Eriksen collapsing on the pitch in Denmark's opening match of Euro 2020, with the midfielder having suffered a cardiac arrest.

Thanks to the heroic work of the medical staff in Copenhagen that day, Eriksen survived, and ultimately returned to professional football within seven months, as he signed for Brentford.

And rather fittingly, the 32-year-old scored Denmark's opener against Slovenia in Stuttgart on Sunday, netting his first goal at the Euros in the process.

Eriksen became his nation's oldest player to score at a major tournament, albeit Denmark could not hold on, as they were pegged back to a 1-1 draw by Erik Janza's deflected strike.

Asked if the events of 2021 were on his mind when he prodded home against Slovenia, Eriksen said: "I was very pleased.

"I did have in mind that I hadn't scored at a Euros, so obviously that was on my mind - but nothing else but football was on my mind.

"This time at the Euros, my story is very different to last time. Luckily there's been a lot of games since it happened. I felt confident going into this game and I was just happy to be playing."

Eriksen was hugely influential for Denmark against Slovenia, creating seven chances and attempting 14 crosses.

Next up for the Danes is a clash with England on Thursday.

Erling Haaland netted the 22nd hat-trick of his career for club and country as Norway eased to a 3-0 win over Kosovo in Wednesday's international friendly at Ullevaal Stadion.

The Manchester City striker, who was crowned the Premier League's top scorer in 2023-24 for the second season running, took just 15 minutes to get off the mark in Oslo.

Haaland headed home David Moller Wolfe's cross inside the six-yard box, before doubling his tally in the 70th minute with a clipped finish after being played through on goal.

The third and final goal arrived three minutes later as the prolific striker exchanged passes with Aron Donnum and fired home after Kosovo made a mess of cutting out the danger.

Haaland now has 30 goals in just 32 appearances for Norway, who face Denmark in their next friendly on Saturday.

Euro 2024-bound Denmark were themselves in friendly action on Wednesday as they earned a late 2-1 win over Sweden thanks to a late Christian Eriksen strike.

Eriksen netted via a dripping shot in the 86th minute at Parken Stadium after Alexander Isak had earlier cancelled out Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's opener.

Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund have been named in Denmark's squad for Euro 2024, although there is no place for Matt O'Riley in the 26-player party.

Eriksen's Euro 2020 campaign was notoriously curtailed after he suffered a cardiac arrest during his nation's opening match against Finland in Copenhagen.

The midfielder watched on from hospital as the Red and Whites went on to reach the semi-finals, but he will feature again this time around alongside Manchester United team-mate Hojlund.

However, O'Riley has been left out, despite an impressive season with Scottish Premiership champions Celtic in which he scored 18 goals.

"It's hard to disappoint someone, these are boyhood dreams that come up short," head coach Kasper Hjulmund told reporters, "[but] I'm very happy with the squad we have."

Simon Kjaer has also been included, despite a thigh injury limiting the veteran defender's game time with Milan towards the end of the Serie A season.

"We have a lot of data on him, we have visited him and have it fully under control," Hjulmund added. "He is now in a place where he is completely ready, he is in good physical condition."

Christian Eriksen believes Manchester United's players must take the blame after their miserable season hit a new low with Monday's 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.

Erik ten Hag's injury-hit Red Devils were torn apart by Palace as Michael Olise scored a wonderful brace and was joined on the scoresheet by Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell.

United's 13th loss of the Premier League season – their most in a league campaign since 1989-90 (16) – leaves them eighth in the table and facing an uphill battle to qualify for Europe.

They have now conceded 81 goals across all competitions this season, their most in a single campaign since they shipped the same number in 1976-77.

While the manner of the defeat will only raise further questions about Ten Hag's future at Old Trafford, Eriksen says the players are primarily responsible.  

"It's a big disappointment. We just had an off-day, and we weren't in it," the midfielder told BBC Sport.

"It is what it is. We can't really change the injury things. We have to do what we can on the pitch to change it. Today it didn't matter who we played, everyone could have done better.

"I don't know what the conclusion is for how it went. We weren't good enough. We tried to do what we could but we were not good enough. We'll take the blame as players."

Since the start of last season, only Nottingham Forest (five) have lost more away Premier League games by a margin of four or more goals than United (three), with the Red Devils also going down 4-0 at Brentford and 7-0 at Liverpool last term.

They now trail sixth-placed Newcastle United by two points and are behind seventh-placed Chelsea on goal difference, with fixtures against Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle to come this season. 

Christian Eriksen signed for Inter Milan from Tottenham for a fee in the region of £17million on this day in 2020.

The Denmark international joined Inter on a four-and-a-half-year deal following six-and-a-half years with Spurs, where he scored 69 goals and provided 89 assists in 305 appearances.

Following his departure, Eriksen posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Dear Tottenham fans, I don’t know where to start!

“I didn’t have time to say goodbye to everyone, even though I felt like I played a lot of games where everyone said and thought I would be gone the next day.

“I have so many unbelievable memories over the last 6.5 years I was at Spurs.

“I enjoyed being at the training ground every day and playing games in the stadium so much, but sometimes you just want to try something new.

“So, Spurs fans it has been a pleasure to play at your club and hopefully we meet again in the future.”

Eriksen won a Serie A title with Inter, but left the club in December 2021 after suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 during Denmark’s opener against Finland.

After receiving life-saving treatment on the pitch, he was taken to hospital and fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device.

Serie A rules stated that Eriksen would be unable to play with an ICD and an agreement was struck for him to leave.

He then signed for Brentford on a six-month deal in January 2022 before joining Manchester United that summer.

Erik ten Hag has not ruled out using the transfer market to strengthen his squad as injuries and illness continue to hit Manchester United hard.

The number of absentees reached double figures for Monday’s 2-0 FA Cup win away to League Two Wigan, with Christian Eriksen out due to illness and Antony injured.

Although Ten Hag is optimistic a number of players could return in time for Sunday’s Premier League match at home to Tottenham, a United bench made up almost entirely of youngsters at the DW Stadium pointed to the stretched resources.

“We consider everything,” Ten Hag said when asked about the January window. “So what is in the best interests of the players and also the best interests for us, the team, for Manchester United. So we’ll see how we progress during the window.”

Ten Hag admitted it has been frustrating to lose so many players in recent weeks, but the Dutchman did not want that to be an excuse for some poor results last month, when United lost six of their nine games.

“I don’t want to be frustrated because I can do nothing for it, it will not help to support the team,” he said. “So we have to get the best performance and best results with the players available and that’s what we’re trying to do…

“I think there will be some players that are hopeful they can be back for the weekend.”

Ten Hag said he expected Eriksen to return in time for the Spurs match, while Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire could also be available.

The victory at Wigan sets up a fourth round tie away to either League Two Newport or non-league Eastleigh, and a clear opportunity to progress further.

With United out of Europe and eighth in the Premier League, a competition in which United reached the final last season remains their only opportunity of silverware this term.

“I don’t think (the focus on the FA Cup) would change if you are still in Europe,” Ten Hag said. “It is a massive competition. Everyone wants to win this competition. So every game we take seriously.”

United beat Wigan with goals in either half from Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes, the second a penalty, but should have won more convincingly given they had 33 attempts on goal.

Fourteen of those were on target, but United were the latest side to find out why Wigan’s 21-year-old goalkeeper Sam Tickle is a man in-demand given his recent form.

Tickle has taken the starting role at Wigan ahead of former United stopper Ben Amos, and the England under-21 goalkeeper has recently been linked with Premier League clubs including Everton.

“He is a brilliant shot-stopper,” Wigan boss Shaun Maloney said of Tickle. “When I first came in, I realised we had something special…

“He was brilliant (against United) and it’s been like that all season. I understand the attention now. It is amazing for our club to have a goalkeeper in the England Under 21 team. Long may it continue. I think it will.”

Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen has urged his team to “go far” in the FA Cup as they begin their campaign against Wigan.

Erik ten Hag’s side make the short trip to the DW Stadium on Monday night to face the League One outfit, who beat York 1-0 to reach the third round.

United have previously won the competition 12 times in their history and as they prepare for their first game of the new year, Eriksen is hoping the team can kick off 2024 with a win.

He told MUTV: “I heard the other day it was the oldest tournament in the world and as I said, I’ve been in England for a long time and the FA Cup has always been something special to the fans and to the players for each club in it.

“It’s definitely a good start of the year, I think we’ll take that very seriously to go through. There’ll be less games in the new year (after being eliminated from European football), it’s up to us to have a lot of better games in the league and go far in the FA Cup.”

Eriksen made his return to the United starting line-up against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Boxing Day following a spell on the sidelines with injury.

The Denmark international had been absent with a knee issue picked up in the Red Devils’ 1-0 win against Luton in November, but has managed to start their last two fixtures.

“It’s always annoying to be on the side, no matter for how long, and definitely now when it takes a little bit longer than you wish for then obviously it’s hard,” Eriksen said.

“But I was eager to come back as soon as I could, obviously it’s up to the manager to choose the team but the first aim is to be back, definitely.”

Eriksen also praised Kobbie Mainoo’s performances as the 18-year-old midfielder continues to make his mark in the United squad since making his first Premier League start against Everton in November.

He added: “I’m very impressed. Luckily I’ve seen him in training and I’ve seen him close by. I really like what I see. I mean, he’s an exceptional player.

“He’s still a very young lad but he’s doing really well and he’s getting his spot in the team.”