Erling Haaland goes to Marbella, while Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk seek sunny climbs too as footballers enjoy a holiday in October international break before returning to club action

The October international break has come to a close but that has not stopped some footballers from enjoying some downtime before returning to domestic action.

Premier League champions Liverpool feature in the standout fixture this weekend when they 'welcome' bitter rivals Manchester United.

That Anfield encounter sees Liverpool looking to avoid a fourth-straight defeat in all competitions and ahead of that mouth-watering match two of their stars have gone away for some rest and relaxation.

One of those being captain Virgil van Dijk, with the centre back having an earlier break than some with Netherlands' two matches having been last Thursday and Sunday.

Van Dijk, started in both 4-0 World Cup qualifying wins overs Malta and Finland, and has since taken himself away to warmer climbs. It is not known where exactly he is holidaying, but in a series of snaps he can be seen enjoying the weather - posing topless in one photo, while sitting on the beach in another.

While Liverpool will look to Van Dijk to shut out United's attack, they will be looking to Mohamed Salah to score and he took to X to share imagery of himself in the sea somewhere going for a swim.

The Egypt forward is yet to reach his high goalscoring standard in the Premier League this season - scoring just twice, unlike Manchester City star striker Erling Haaland who has nine goals in the English top-flight.

The Norwegian took his stunning club form into the international stage at the weekend, scoring a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Israel, 

However, the 25-year-old did not play in Tuesday's friendly against New Zealand as he and four other team-mates were released early.

As a result, the 25-year-old headed for the luxurious Spanish resort of Marbella.

Speaking about his decision to relieve his stars of their duties, Norway boss Stale Solbakken said: 'Everyone who has played a lot of Champions League was told go home.'

Taking to Instagram and using the caption 'camos', Haaland shared snaps of himself donning a pair of green slacks, a matching vest, a shirt and a flat-cap while carrying a designer Hermes Hac 40 bag believed to be worth almost £10,000 by his side.

While those aforementioned players have had a shorter break due to international commitments, Newcastle goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has been able to plan a longer getaway to Dubai after not being picked for England this month.

Travelling with his wife Georgina and their child Ronnie, who turns two on Monday, they enjoyed a trip to the Middle East.

Taking to Instagram, Georgina accompanied the pictures of their week-long vacation by writing: 'I want to redo this week all over again, the best ever.'