Revealed: Why Man United’s clash with Fulham next month kicks off at 7pm on a Sunday – as fans hit out at the ‘really unpopular’ decision - sportsnewsfoot

Manchester United‘s fixture against Fulham on Sunday, January 26 will get underway at 7pm due to the Red Devils reportedly objecting to a proposed 12pm kick off.

United’s clash against the Cottagers next month is set to be live on TNT Sports as Ruben Amorim continues his attempts to rebuild the club.

However, according to The Times, the game will kick off at a unique and unpopular time because of United’s Europa League tie at home to Rangers on Thursday, January 23.

The report claims the game was originally down for 12pm, but Amorim’s side wanted their players to have more recovery time, given the proposed start would have been just 62 hours after the clash against the Scottish giants finished.

As a result, with the usual 2pm and 4:30pm slots already taken by Sky Sports games, the only possibility was to play the match at 7pm.

The Sunday 7pm kick off time is very unusual, although Chelsea vs Brentford and Southampton vs Tottenham will be in that slot this week given the Blues and Spurs both have away matches in Europe on Thursday evening. 

Manchester United’s Premier League fixture against Fulham on Sunday, January 26 will get underway at 7pm due to the Red Devils reportedly objecting to a proposed 12pm kick off

The game was scheduled to be at 12pm, but Ruben Amorim’s side need more recovery time

This is because they are facing Rangers in the Europa League on the previous Thursday at 8pm

Those two sides, along with United and several other clubs, believe 72 hours is the minimum gap needed for player recovery between fixtures.

The Premier League is believed to have told clubs that the slot is only a ‘contingency option’, rather than a regular one, although it has still proven to be extremely unpopular with supporters.

In a statement, The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) expressed concerns surrounding the kick off time, highlighting its lack of suitability for families and public transport limitations.

‘The Sunday evening kick-off slot is really unpopular with match-goers as public transport options are limited and it’s no good for families with young kids,’ an FSA spokesman said.

‘When the general slot was announced the Premier League told us it was a ‘contingency’ — but it seems to be getting used an awful lot for such a provision.

‘A big part of the problem is allowing broadcasters to choose “conditional” picks which are then moved when a team progresses in Europe.

‘The Premier League puts broadcasters first by allowing them to select such games knowing full well conditional picks are very likely to be rescheduled again.’

The report goes onto add that United will offer their supporters subsidised travel for the trip to Fulham, although fans will be unable to get from London to Manchester via train following the game.

Many fans have hit out at the decision, with the FSA calling the 7pm kick off ‘really unpopular’

Meanwhile, the Sunday 7pm matches this week come with Chelsea facing Astana in Kazakhstan on Thursday afternoon, before an eight-hour flight back, while Spurs are travelling to Rangers for an 8PM kick off.

The new contingency plans also come after new regulations mean clubs who play in the Champions League on a Wednesday night no longer feature in the Saturday lunchtime slot, as the top flight continues to battle with the expanded European calendar.

United currently sit 13th in the Premier League having won one, drawn one and lost two of Amorim’s four league games in charge.