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Two Man Utd match-ups to watch out for as England take on France at the World Cup

Manchester United stars have had a splendid time at the World Cup and as many as four players will be in action when England take on France in the third quarter-final on December 10.

Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford will be aiming to take the Three Lions to another World Cup semi-final but they have a difficult task on their hands against holders France.

United centre-back Raphael Varane will be featuring at the heart of Les Bleus’ defence on Saturday.

Here are two key match-ups involving Manchester United stars to watch out for:

Harry Maguire vs Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe has been a revelation for France at the World Cup and he is currently the top scorer with five goals to his name. Manchester City’s Kyle Walker will be tasked to keep him quiet on the left flank but Maguire will also have a huge role to play. The centre-back was too slow on the ball against Senegal and nearly gifted them with a goal early on. It was his least unconvincing display in Qatar but he can ill-avoid another repeat against France with Mbappe in exemplary form. Maguire will need to show immense levels of concentration, particularly when Les Bleus are on the counter-attack.

Marcus Rashford vs Raphael Varane

Rashford has been one of England’s stand-out players at the World Cup despite his lack of starts. The United graduate has three goals to his name from four appearances, three of those being off the bench. With Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka impressing against Senegal, Rashford could be limited to another cameo and he should nonetheless have a part to play. Rashford should be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of Varane after spending 18 months together at Old Trafford and should relish the chance of coming up against the Frenchman at the Al Bayt Stadium this weekend.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com