Five reasons why the international break has come at the wrong time for Manchester United

A resounding 4-0 thumping of West Ham was doubled up with another ruthless display at Swansea, before a gritty performance ensured that Leicester City's stubborn resistance was seen off as well.

Three games played, three games won. And it's not just that United have picked up maximum points so far, it's the manner they've done it in.

Clean, clinical and captivating - a team built in the very image of its manager.

But just when Manchester United fans were beginning to revel in their team's new found assuredness, the international break arrived, bringing with it a sordid weekend devoid of club football.

Blasphemous, I tell you.

For every fan that was looking forward to the normalcy of the domestic season, after a drawn-out and exhausting transfer window, an international break just three weeks in was an unwelcome shot to the gut.

And while we're only a couple of days away from the resumption of club football again, we can still appreciate why the break was ill-timed and in the case of Manchester United, pretty ill-conceived as well.

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Affects momentum

Can Manchester United keep their run of victories going after the international break?

Of foremost importance to any football team - especially one that have been struggling with inconsistency for the past three years - is ensuring that they maintain winning momentum.

And after three confident performances on the bounce, that is exactly what this Manchester United team seem to have.

While pundits and fans alike are quick to jump the gun and compare them to United teams of lore that cantered away with the league, Jose Mourinho was quick to temper the expectations.

He is aware that what lays ahead is a marathon and not a sprint, that his team would need sustainability over speed to get anywhere close to winning the league.

But even he would agree that this international break couldn't have arrived at a more inopportune time.

That too, just as United were starting to pull away from the chasing pack - all of whom have a markedly more challenging start to the season too.

Speaking of which...

Allows other clubs to regroup

Time to regroup would have been a welcome respite to the embattled Arsenal manager

Liverpool have been nothing short of stellar after a middling start against Watford, Chelsea seem to have shaken off the pre-season cobwebs after a freak defeat to Burnley and Manchester City have been sure-footed so far, if not spectacular.

But it's really Arsenal and Tottenham that have cause for concern.

While one seems to be stuck in an all-too-familiar early season rut again, the other has found home advantage hard to come by at Wembley.

And for them especially, if not for the remainder of the chasing pack, an opportunity to regroup and reclaim their wits about them before doing over a disastrous start to the season, seems to be in order.

The international break may serve as exactly that.

Risk of injuries

United can only hope and pray that the likes of Paul Pogba don't get injured on international duty

Jose Mourinho has prided himself in the past - publicly I might add - on his ability to minimise the risk of injury to his players by micromanaging their fitness levels.

But if his players were to sustain damage when they're far away from the hospices of Carrington, what could he possibly do?

Teams play at least twice in quick succession during international breaks and this leads to an increased risk of injury, if not through unfamiliarity of a player's individual fitness needs, then due to the necessity of having him play 180 minutes of high octane football.

And while international managers do tend to be wary of overplaying their wards, instances of players sustaining serious injuries during international duty are way too commonplace for comfort.

Fatigue

Players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan have to travel half the world to link up with their respective national teams

Fatigue plays a major component in any player's ability to last the duration of a punishing season, especially if you're realistically competing on all possible fronts.

And international breaks such as these, where players have to play home and away in double quick time, entail a lot of travel, flitting in and out of time zones and an overall lack of rest and recuperation for the body.

For a Manchester United player that is expected to perform - and win - at every turn, that may be asking too much of him.

It's not that his body won't hold up initially, but it's the accumulation of international duty coupled with the pressure of delivering week-in, week-out for his club that may take a toll over the course of a winding season.

The David De Gea factor

Agent R?

How is it a Spanish reunion without the Tiki-Taka, the midfield masterclass and renewed rumours of David De Gea leaving to Real Madrid?

Of course, the Spanish shot-stopper affirmed his future with Manchester United after Real failed to materialize a concrete bid in the transfer window, but it would seem that this particular rumour is fated to pop up each season.

Even if De Gea has shown himself to be a consummate professional, giving his all and then some to the club, it hardly does his psyche any favours to have the press speculate about his future every time he links up with his international teammates.

It is an unfortunate situation that certainly needs resolving in the long-term but in the present, could do without being exacerbated every time the international break swings around.