Manchester United face the prospect of playing twice in less than 48 hours after the EFL announced the details of their Carabao Cup quarter-final with Tottenham Hotspur next month.
United progressed to the last-eight of the competition last week with a 5-2 win over Leicester City and their reward is a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium less than a week before Christmas.
It was confirmed that quarter-final ties will be played in the week commencing Monday, December 16, meaning it was presumed United's clash with the Londoners would be played on either Tuesday, December 17 or Wednesday, December 18, as per Carabao Cup tradition.
However, it has been announced United's clash with Ange Postecoglou's side will take place on Thursday, December 19, kicking-off at 8pm. The other three quarter-final ties will all be staged the night before. The contest has, unsurprisingly, been selected to be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
However, United, as things currently stand, are scheduled to play Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Saturday, December 21, kick-off 3pm, meaning Ruben Amorim faces the prospect of having to get his team ready for two matches in less than 48 hours.
The Premier League announced its TV picks for the Christmas and New Year period last month, and United's clash with the Cherries was not selected for live broadcast in the UK, meaning it remained in its original slot of 3pm on December 21.
The fact United must now prepare for two fixtures less than 48 hours apart means the squad risks being pushed to its limits. Furthermore, United face Manchester City on Sunday, December 15, meaning they will now play three times in less than a week.
Interestingly, Tottenham's Premier League clash with Liverpool, that follows their Carabao Cup meeting with United, was selected for TV broadcast last month and was handed the 4.30pm slot on Sunday, December 22, meaning they will have two full days to prepare for the clash with Arne Slot's side.
United have not said if they will be requesting for the clash with Bournemouth to be pushed back.