Manchester United face a difficult challenge of playing their postponed Premier League matches after Erik ten Hag's men were confined to a Europa League play-off game after failing to top their group.
The Reds needed to beat Real Sociedad by two or more goals in order to finish first place in Group E. If United would have achieved that feat against the LaLiga side, they would have only needed to play two matches to make it through to the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
However, because the Premier League side could only manage a 1-0 win against Sociedad, Ten Hag's men finished second in the group and will be required to play an additional two matches in the knockout play-off round, which takes place in February.
ALSO READ: Erik ten Hag made clear Man United transfer demand with Harry Maguire decision
United's matches against Crystal Palace and Leeds United were postponed following the death of the Queen. Both games will need to be rescheduled, but that is easier said than done.
Should the Reds have won their group, they could have played the fixtures in February and March, but as they will be in play-off action, that is no longer possible.
Here's how United could potentially play their rescheduled matches:
While the Premier League will be keen for all rescheduled matches to be played on the dedicated vacant midweeks (April 4, May 2 and May 23), it looks unlikely due to the Reds finishing second in their Europa League group. Therefore, according to ESPN, the league is likely to see what happens in the next two rounds of the Carabao Cup. This is because it will be clearer which sides will still be competing in the cup, and if they will have availability should they lose.
There is a serious possibility that the Reds might have to play top-flight matches on Friday-Monday-Thursday-Sunday in between European matchdays.
Although FA Cup replays were scrapped in the past two seasons, it remains to be seen if the same could happen this term. If the decision was made to cancel them, it would free up one or two extra midweeks. However, the Premier League are unlikely to permit this just for United.
If the Premier League are keen on making sure all the week 6 matches are played together in one block, the only way of doing so might be to make the Carabao Cup semis one-legged, or cancel a round of FA Cup replays.
Another option, albeit highly unlikely, would be to swap the FA Cup final (June 3) and the last day of the Premier League season (May 28). This would create an extra midweek (May 30), but would spark logistical issues given that the Europa League final is being played on the Wednesday of that week, and that Wembley is booked for the EFL playoffs on the weekend of May 27-29.
Should United exit the EFL Cup and/or the FA Cup and Europa League, it will be much easier to reschedule their matches against Crystal Palace and Leeds. However, with the Reds still having the chance to secure their place in every available final, the Premier League cannot yet confirm when United's postponed games will be played.
READ NEXT:
