Manchester United's injury crisis is ongoing, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. United could be without as many as nine players for their trip to Goodison Park this weekend, though there is some good news in the fact that Luke Shaw has resumed group training and Lisandro Martinez was also spotted back at Carrington.
Ten Hag will need to be careful with how he reintegrates the duo after lengthy spells on the sidelines, with an obvious temptation to throw them straight back in given how important they are in their respective roles.
United's awful injury record has certainly been a contributing factor to their inconsistent start to the campaign and there is a real belief that once they have a settled side, they will build momentum and embark on an impressive run of form.
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Shaw and Martinez will both be integral to that consistency, with the duo making up half of United's best defence, but there are still question marks over who the other two roles will be occupied by.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is currently the first-choice right-back again, though some supporters would still rather see Diogo Dalot play in that position.
They are still pretty much neck-and-neck in terms of who should start regularly, with recent form usually the only thing that decides whose name is on the teamsheet.
Ten Hag likes having a settled option at right-back, hence why they effectively each played for half of last season, and Wan-Bissaka will keep the role for the forseeable future unless there is reason for him to be dropped again.
The other position up for grabs is centre-back, where Ten Hag likes having a right-footed option to compliment Martinez as a partnership.
Raphael Varane has been that man for much of his time in charge but in recent weeks, Harry Maguire has reclaimed the role and is starting on merit after a fine run of form.
There are still doubts over his long-term suitability for the role, though, and with United in the market for a central defender next year, Maguire might not be assured of a regular starting place for too much longer.
When fully fit, it could mean United's first-choice defence becomes Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Martinez and Shaw, a quartet who have only played together once before.
There have been numerous times in which three of the four have started together, but the only time they all did was in the 3-1 win over Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-final last season.
The back four all played the entire match, which, although they won, was far from convincing, and swung on Fulham receiving three red cards in a second-half implosion.
United's unconvincing win shouldn't deter Ten Hag, though. In order to turn their season around, they need stability, and that should come by rewarding their most in-form defenders until they no longer warrant a starting spot.
Shaw and Martinez are not only specialists in their positions; they also form half of United's best defence, regardless of who occupies the other two roles.
