Manager Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United's two-legged Europa League play-off fixture in February will serve as an opportunity for his players to continue their development.
United, who will be looking to record a fourth successive victory in all competitions when they travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, missed out on top spot in Group E on Thursday evening, despite beating Real Sociedad 1-0 in their final group game in San Sebastian. They needed to win by two clear goals to top the group, meaning they narrowly missed out on top spot and an automatic path to the last-16.
Instead, the Reds must navigate their way through a two-legged play-off round against a third-placed Champions League side to reach the next stage of the competition. The draw will be made this coming Monday and they could be pitted up against one of the likes of Ajax, Barcelona or Juventus.
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In what is already a packed and demanding schedule because of the World Cup, United's fixture list is becoming more and more congested, leaving them little time on the training ground between matches. But while Ten Hag has admitted that United have a large volume of games to manage, he believes his players will be able to use the situation to their advantage.
"We definitely have two extra games to cover in this hard season," Ten Hag told United's club website. "We have a lot of games, that's clear, but also it's an opportunity for this squad to develop and to get into the process.
"Players like to play matches, rather than training, so, in that matter, it is also an advantage."
United, despite the season only being three months old, have experienced a relentless run of games so far, with the gap between Europa League matchdays being shortened because of the upcoming World Cup. However, Ten Hag has admitted, once more, that players enjoy playing matches more than they do spending time on the training ground.
He continued: "No, it's about recovery, food, sleep and get ready for the next game. As I say, the players want to play, they want to play matches rather than training, so they are looking forward to the next game."
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