The EFL have confirmed who will officiate Manchester United’s trip to Grimsby Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.
Manchester United turn their attention to the Carabao Cup after Premier League clashes with Arsenal and Fulham, travelling to Blundell Park to meet Grimsby Town.
It is the first time in a generation that United enter the competition at the second round; their 15th-place finish last season prevented them from receiving a bye to the third.
Having lost 1-0 to Arsenal and drawn 1-1 with Fulham, Rúben Amorim is under pressure to deliver a first win of the new campaign following scrutiny over the opening results.
With the fixture arriving so soon after the trip to West London, the United boss is expected to shuffle his lineup and give chances to other members of his squad.
Grimsby vs United referee confirmed
Tony Harrington (pictured above) will be the referee on Wednesday evening in Grimsby. Harrington officiated 18 Premier League fixtures last season, seven in the Championship, and three across other domestic competitions.
Harrington officiated United only once last season – a 2-0 loss away from home against Wolverhampton Wanderers in which new United signing Matheus Cunha put in a stunning display, scoring directly from a corner.
Last season, Harrington issued 73 yellow cards in the Premier League and 115 across all competitions. He issued five red cards last season, three via two yellow cards and two straight red cards. He awarded four penalties, all of which came in the Premier League.
During the game, Matthew Wilkes and Steven Meredith will serve as assistant referees for Harrington. David Webb will be the fourth official on Sunday afternoon, separating Amorim and David Artell.
No VAR for Grimsby vs United
One rule change that United fans have to note is that there will be no Video Assistant Referee (VAR) available to officials for the upcoming Carabao Cup tie.
While there is a blanket rule in the FA Cup that VAR is not in use until the fifth round of the competition, the EFL have decided that the Carabao Cup’s use of VAR will work differently.
VAR is in use across the whole competition, but rules state that the technology will only be used if ties are being played at Premier League stadiums.
So, if United had been drawn first out of the pot and the fixture was being played at Old Trafford, VAR would be in use. But, as the fixture is at Blundell Park, Amorim and the referees will have to do without.
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