”We were set up to fail”: Solskjaer rages against fixture-planners

Manchester United did not return from a CL match in Istanbul until Thursday morning but was given the early lunch-time slot on Saturday for its trip to Goodison Park.

“We were set up to fail. The kickoff time set us up to fail," Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said (File Photo).

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hit out at the Premier League's fixture planners after his team's 3-1 win at Everton on Saturday.

United did not return from a Champions League match in Istanbul until early on Thursday morning but was given the early lunch-time slot on Saturday for its trip to Goodison Park.

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“We were set up to fail. The kickoff time set us up to fail. We have been to Turkey, played loads of games this season already, we got back Thursday morning and we are playing Saturday lunchtime, it's an absolute shambles,” said the Norwegian after Bruno Fernandes scored twice in the win.

“These boys deserve better. Luke Shaw has got injured because of it. It's a hamstring which might be a long one and Marcus Rashford might be struggling,” added the United manager.

“The authorities set us up for fail, who is responsible? We've had enough of that. Players this season, in these times, a pandemic, mentally and physically it's draining. Let us play on a Sunday, there's an international break after this, it's a joke.”

Liverpool and Manchester City, who both played in the Champions League on Tuesday have a late afternoon kickoff on Sunday.