Erling Haaland, Gabriel Jesus & Mohamed Salah
Some players and clubs are likely to be more ready than others for the Premier League's resumption

After a six week break, the premier league will start on 26 December.

The chance to rest key players or get those on the treatment table closer to fitness will be offered for some top-flight clubs.

Others will be prepared to deal with the emotional and physical aftermath of the tournament as players return either with confidence or with an injury.

The English top flight is going to get back under way.

R&R for Haaland as Arsenal's Jesus suffers injury blow

The world didn't get to see Erling Haaland in person, but Manchester City hopes that a mid-season break will help him maintain his good form.

Much could depend on the fitness and freshness of the Norway player as City target domestic and European success.

If the prospect of a goal-hungry Haaland isn't frightening enough for defenders, then City should also be interested in Algeria's Ryoko, who missed out on a place in Algeria's World Cup squad.

After Gabriel Jesus' tournament was ended due to a knee injury, the five-point lead at the top of the table appears more vulnerable.

The Brazil forward is facing a spell on the sidelines as Mikel Arteta's team face a challenging sequence of games, beginning with a home game against West Ham and a trip to BRIGHTON.

Mixed emotions for Kane, Maguire and Salah

Harry Maguire
Manchester United's Harry Maguire produced arguably his best form of the season for England at the World Cup

As England went out in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Harry Kane is likely to be the sole focus of Spurs' top-four ambitions.

Richarlison picked up a new injury after impressing for Brazil, while Son Heung-min's struggles for form continued in the Middle East.

At the other end of the field, things look a bit better given the fact that Hugo Lloris' run to the final was a positive sign.

Egypt forward Mohamed Salah's absence from the tournament will allow him to shrug off any early-season sluggishness in order to help his club get back on track.

According to reports, Diogo Jota could be back for the Reds by early February, to help compensate for the loss of Luis Diaz, who is expected to be out until March due to a knee injury.

Manchester United welcome back a World Cup winner in Argentina's Lisandro Martinez, while other members of their back four should return in a positive frame of mind, despite the fact that their workload may need to be adjusted.

Diogo Dalot starred for Portugal and Raphael Varane helped France reach the final at the World Cup, as well as being called on by Eric ten Hag.

Rice, Mac Allister & Martinez's stock rises

Declan Rice's public admission, while on England duty, that winning titles at club level has become a top priority is only likely to heighten transfer speculation around the West Ham midfielder's long-term future.

David Moyes will be happy to know that none of his players have any fitness concerns, with one of them impressing during the last four.

With three years left on his current deal, his club look well placed to repel prospective suitors as they chase a European spot, as he enhanced his reputation with a string of excellent displays for Argentina.

Unai Emery will be happy to have his entire outfield back several weeks before the start of the top flight, while the standing of his goalkeeper has risen after his heroics in Argentina's triumph.

The World Cup came at a good time for Graham Potter to get his season back on track after three consecutive defeats.

The burden of Germany's failure will be carried by Kai Havertz, while Mason Mount is no longer a starter.

In the downtime, key players such as Reece James, N'Golo Kante, and Ben Chilwell have been able to make progress in recovering from injuries, and are expected back in January.

Guardiola and Arteta's juggling acts

Ilkay Gundogan & Kevin de Bruyne
Manchester City players played more World Cup minutes than any other Premier League club

There were 26 players from Manchester City andArsenal in the country. It could mean more juggling in terms of selection for City and the other team.

The greater balancing act could be faced by the man. City's players played a total of 4,628 minutes in the tournament, while the rest of the team played less than 1,700 minutes.

The players of the four teams that played in the World Cup had more minutes than the players of the one team that didn't play.

The busy schedule could affect the physical and mental health of players according to the general secretary of Fifpro.

"We've seen some players who played 10, 15 matches in a row without a proper recovery time, which we consider to be at least five days between matches," he said.

It's not just the physical recovery, it's also the mental ability to adjust, to get yourself ready for the rest of the season, which is very different when you play a tournament in the middle of a season.

The England contingent of John Stones, Phil Foden and Kyle Walker all return with their reputations intact.

Kevin de Bruyne failed to lead Belgium's golden generation of out their group and Ilkay Gundogan's Germany were also in the departure lounge early.

Spain's Rodri and Aymeric Laporte probably didn't expect a last-16 defeat by Morocco, as their team was trounced by Portuguese team mates.

After being used less by the Selecao, Gabriel Martinelli should return to the UK.

The same applies to Ben White, whose involvement with England ended early for personal reasons.

After their nations failed to qualify for the World Cup, Mikel Arteta believes that Martin Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mohamed Elneny, and Kieran Tierney should all be rested.

Maddison could offer Leicester lift

With James Maddison not playing a single minute for the Three Lions, there is a chance that he will be fit for Monday's game atNewcastle.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been able to recover from a number of injuries.

Jordan Pickford has been a source of encouragement for the manager.

Kyle Walker-Peters, who has been out with a injury, could be good news for Nathan Jones.

Julen Lopetegui hopes to get Pedro Neto back from an ankle injury in order to buoy a squad that looks set to be reinforced in the January transfer window.

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