FROM the depths of crisis to fifth in the Premier League in the space of ten days, Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United’s have lift-off.
And after Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford continued to fuel this min-revival, can the United duo now earn a place on the plane to Qatar in November?
Gareth Southgate had claimed that Sancho and Rashford had a long way to go to force their way back into his World Cup plans, as both suffered an alarming plunge in form last season.
Rashford enjoyed a bright first half here but struggled after the break and may still have a lot more convincing to do but he is a favourite of Southgate, who needs more goalscoring options.
And with £82million Antony newly arrived from Ajax, competition for places in the United forward is about to get stiffer.
Transfer deadline has now passed without Cristiano Ronaldo getting away from Old Trafford as well.
So Ten Hag has plenty of options and a certain level of optimism is creeping into a team which was humiliated in that horrific first half at Brentford last month.
