Premier League scheduling hands blessing to two Man United stars

The Premier League scheduling for the upcoming months have handed blessing to two different Manchester United players.

The Reds have faced a busy schedule since Erik ten Hag took the reigns at Old Trafford. They have only had a handful of midweeks without a game, with this last week being one of them.

After playing a staggering 62 games last term, United will have a less strenuous campaign after their early exit in the Carabao Cup, as well as dropping out of Europe completely.

In particular, their January schedule is very light, with only one Premier League game set for the month.

After their fixture against Wolves was moved to the 1 February for scheduling reasons, with the game being shown on TNT Sports, after being originally set for the back-end of January.

This meant that the club’s home clash against West Ham was rearranged. The game was originally set to be placed on 3 February.

United’s exit from the Carabao Cup and Champions League means that their only other January fixture comes in the FA Cup third round away at Wigan.

If they do win that game, they are likely to have a third game in the opening month of 2024, with the fourth-round of FA Cup fixtures set to be played between the 27th and 28th of January.

This slim scheduling will aid the injured pairing of Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez, who are both set to return to action after the New Year.

“They [Martinez and Casemiro] are not available before Christmas. Mid-January, we expect them back,” said Ten Hag.

This does not only mean that the pair will avoid missing more games, with only four scheduled before mid-January, but also that they will not be thrown into the busiest period of the season and can build further fitness in training ahead of a five-game February with important games against Aston Villa and Fulham scheduled.

Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez will strengthen Ten Hag’s side after both being key to the success during the Dutchman’s debut season at Old Trafford.