In all competitions this season, Manchester United has already played 46 games—more than Brentford, Fulham, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, and Bournemouth combined will play in the full season.
As of Sunday, they will face Newcastle United at St. James' Park for the first time since defeating Eddie Howe's team in the Carabao Cup final.
While United may play up to 19 more games in the remaining 63 days, their competitors for a top-four spot only have the Premier League to contend with—with Arsenal and Manchester City far ahead of the field.
While Newcastle, who will tie United on points with a victory tomorrow, and Liverpool, who each have 12 league games available, have half as many games left to play as Erik ten Hag's marathon men may need to.
If United defeats Brighton to advance to the FA Cup final on June 3 and play in the Europa League final in Budapest the previous three days, it will have been a 65-game season that lasted an unbelievable 302 days.
Only once in 2008-09, when they played 66 games, did they play more games in a single season.
There were 15 United representatives at the World Cup in Qatar, and in the three weeks following the Carabao Cup final and building up to the most recent international break, there were indications that the cumulative effects of a busy season for club and country were beginning to show.
Luke Shaw attributed United's 7-0 defeat at Liverpool to complacency following the team's first title win in six years, but fatigue was also evident in the FA Cup matches against West Ham United and Fulham as well as the first half of the Europa League match at Old Trafford against Real Betis.
Ten Hag has made United fitter and more organized than they have ever been in the post-Alex Ferguson period, which has improved their ability to sustain short bursts of intensity during games.
A thorough pre-season that included numerous double practices to work on fitness, shape, and play patterns gave an invaluable starting point.
However, Ten Hag has frequently used the same group of players, and for some, the task has been demanding.
Bruno Fernandes, the de facto captain of United, has appeared for club and country in more games (53) and minutes (4,571) this season than any other outfielder in the top five leagues in Europe. In reality, among players who have represented club and country in the top five leagues, Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez, Marcus Rashford, Fred, and Casemiro rank among the top 25.
The absence of Casemiro in Ten Hag's center is his primary source of worry right now.The next eight days will see United without their Brazilian anchor as they play league contests against Newcastle, Brentford, and Everton.
Casemiro will have missed eight of 16 home games over the course of his third 11-week suspension of the season.
On the plus side, it should mean he is fresh for the final stretch, but his replacements, including Scott McTominay, who scored four goals for Scotland during the international break, and Marcel Sabitzer, must perform well or it could be expensive.
It doesn't help that fellow midfielders Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen are both sidelined with injuries; the Dane might return at the end of this month - and the absence of Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho for weeks due to an ankle injury has diminished United's attack.
Ten Hag will be hoping that Rashford profited from the break before a hectic next two months after the attacker was forced to withdraw from the England squad due to a niggle.
In a season marred by numerous injuries, Anthony Martial has only made nine appearances in all competitions.
Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool have already faced Manchester United both at home and away.
There are challenging trips to Newcastle, Tottenham, Brighton, and West Ham still to go, and given Brentford's 4-0 humiliation at their venue in August, there will be weight on the game at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
They do have a less difficult schedule than Liverpool and Newcastle, who have three straight away games after tomorrow's visit from United and still have top Arsenal to play. Although the biggest inconvenience is the sheer number of games in such a brief period of time, United also has one that is comparable to Tottenham's.
Injury woes
In a season marred by numerous injuries, Anthony Martial has only made nine appearances in all competitions.In order to ensure that the France striker remains in shape after the international break, Ten Hag purposefully did not rush him back this time. The 27-year-old could be vital to United's prospects if he can regain his form and fitness.
loan agreement In Martial's absence, Wout Weghorst has been the line's leader, but the Frenchman would bring the speed and goal danger the Dutchman lacks, which could help reduce Rashford's workload.
Aside from Martial, other members of the United team, like Jadon Sancho and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who were absent for protracted periods in the first half of the season, have now been reintegrated into the lineup and may play a crucial role.
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