Erik ten Hag has given his battling Manchester United squad two days off after back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.
The Red Devils suffered 1-0 losses to Brighton and West Ham in their last two outings to leave their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League hanging in the balance. They are fourth in the table, one point clear of Liverpool in fitth with a game in hand.
Ten Hag's decision will raise eyebrows, as the Dutchman cancelled a planned day off and made his players run 13.8km after the last time they suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats in August. Yet United's situation is different at this stage in the season.
As reported by The Athletic, Ten Hag has recognised his players are tired after playing 57 games already this term. He wants them to enjoy a break from their Carrington training ground to recharge the batteries ahead of a crucial month of football.
Ten Hag also has the breathing space to give his players some time off because United have a clear midweek for the first time since September, bar the World Cup in Qatar. Since that tournament, United have played a game every 3.8 days on average.
"It’s the first time since Christmas that those players have a full week," Ten Hag told reporters after the West Ham defeat on Sunday evening. "We have to reset, reload, get the energy back and keep going.
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"But tiredness is in your head. If you want, if you have the willingness, you can take it. It’s now up to the players, me and the coaching staff to be together, get the willingness in and the belief that we can take it and this team has it.
"You can’t feel sorry for yourself, as a team stick together, as an individual take responsibility, make sure you have the energy, you have the focus, then play as a team and you get a result because we have proof of that all season."
West Ham manager David Moyes, who is a former Red Devils boss, added: "I feel for Man Utd, they had to play at Brighton on Thursday and now here on Sunday. I thought it took the edge out of Man Utd tonight, because of the games programme."
United's busy schedule has led to injuries. Lisandro Martinez (foot) and Donny van de Beek (knee) will not play again this season, while Raphael Varane (ankle), Scott McTominay (undisclosed), Alejandro Garnacho (ankle) and Tom Heaton are all nursing complaints.
United need to win three of their final four Premier League games to qualify for the Champions League. They should achieve that, with three home games against Wolves, Chelsea and Fulham on the horizon. They will also be expected to win at Bournemouth.
That is a relatively comfortable run in, as Wolves, Chelsea, Fulham and Bournemouth are in stuck in midtable and have little to play for. United also have an FA Cup final against local rivals Manchester City at Wembley on June 3 to prepare for.
