Why Man United only have one Premier League game in January | OneFootball

Highlights

Manchester United are now scheduled to play just one Premier League fixture throughout January 2024, which might not be terrible news for the club’s fans considering how the 2023-24 season is currently going.

Erik ten Hag’s beleaguered side sit sixth in the Premier League table at the time of writing, 10 points behind leaders Liverpool, ahead of their trip to Anfield on December 17. They were knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on December 12 and won’t compete in the Europa League after finishing bottom of Group A.

Reports claim incoming investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already lined up former Chelsea boss Graham Potter as a potential replacement for Ten Hag. Ratcliffe will own a 25% stake in Man Utd and take charge of football operations at Old Trafford once his £1.25bn deal is finalised.

Before the turn of the New Year, the Red Devils face Liverpool (H), West Ham United (A), Aston Villa (H), and Nottingham Forest (A). Failure to turn the tide in those fixtures may spell the end for Ten Hag, who was named the Premier League’s Manager of the Month for November but finds himself under considerable pressure following defeats against Newcastle, Bournemouth and Bayern.

Tottenham (H) is Man Utd's only league game in January

If he’s still in charge at the beginning of 2024, Ten Hag will only need to prepare his team for one league match in January: a home fixture against Tottenham on Saturday, January 14. United have no other Premier League games throughout the opening month of the New Year, but why?

They were due to face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Tuesday, January 30 but this fixture has now been moved to Thursday, February 1. TNT Sports will broadcast the game, which kicks off at 20:15 GMT, live.

Man Utd’s only other January fixture, as things stand, is a FA Cup third round clash away at Wigan Athletic on Monday, January 8 (20:15 GMT kick-off). Win that and they will compete in the FA Cup fourth round on the weekend of January 27/28.

February is looking busier for Man Utd

Four Premier League fixtures scheduled

That means Man Utd will play a maximum of three fixtures throughout January, so Ten Hag’s players should feel relatively fresh by the time February’s fixtures roll around. However, the Red Devils then face four Premier League fixtures during the second month of the year. A fifth fixture against West Ham was initially scheduled for Saturday, February 3 but has now been rearranged for an unconfirmed date.

Top four is still the aim for Man Utd

A difficult - but not impossible - task for the Red Devils

While it feels like the wheels have fallen off for Ten Hag and his players, it’s important to remember that Man Utd aren’t out of the hunt for a top-four finish as things stand. It’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that the club will recover to secure Champions League football again next season.

Needless to say, performances and results would need to improve dramatically - and quickly - in order for that to become a reality. But last season’s League Cup winners and FA Cup finalists are only six points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

That Aston Villa (currently third in the table) and Tottenham (fifth) have enjoyed such a positive start to the current campaign threatens to make things harder for United during the second half of the season, but Ten Hag certainly has the players at his disposal to make up ground on those two clubs over the coming weeks and months.