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Put a stocking in it

Manchester United whinged about having the ‘worst’ festive fixture list… but a host of teams have it much worse than them this Christmas

Old Trafford outfit insisted they had it toughest this winter, much to Twitter's amusement, but it turns out that's not true

MANCHESTER UNITED amazingly whinged about having the "worst" festive fixture list on Thursday.

The Old Trafford outfit's official website insisted they had it worse... only to be met with a chorus of "aww, diddums" on Twitter.

 Man United whinged about having the "worst" festive fixture list
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Man United whinged about having the "worst" festive fixture listCredit: Reuters

But now it turns out, their "research" was misleading... as a hatful of Premier League teams have it worse - much worse.

On their club website on Thursday, Man United unbelievably claimed: "It's the most wonderful time of the year, particularly for football fans.

"But one that puts increasing pressure on Premier League players.

"All 20 top-flight clubs are faced with taxing schedules but our research shows that Manchester United have a harder time of it than our rivals towards the top of the table."

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Credit: SportingBet

But look a little deeper and it turns out most teams actually have it worse in their own way, according to research from Sporting Bet.

In the space of 13 days over the Christmas period, there are a total of FOUR match-days.


MOAN UNITED Moaning Manchester United complain about festive fixture pile-up… with fans tearing into them on Twitter


During that stint, four clubs have it worse than United - as Leicester, Bournemouth, Brighton and Burnley all have a shorter gap between the first and last game.

While Man United were right that Chelsea and Arsenal have it fairly easy over that run, there are other ways to measure the grind of the festive fixture list.

Full Friday Premier League preview featuring Arsenal v Liverpool
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Credit: SportingBet
Full Saturday Premier League preview including Leicester v Man Utd and Man City v Bournemouth
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Credit: SportingBet

For instance, a lot of the fatigue kicks-in thanks to long away days over the festive period.

In that respect, just three teams have it EASIER than United, with Jose Mourinho's men travelling a mere 833 miles this December.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are forced to clock up over 2,000 miles, with Liverpool in excess of 1,500 miles.

United also come way down in 12th when it comes to the length of break in between Christmas away-days.

So while the Old Trafford side were right in saying they had it hard in one way, to say they have the "hardest" Christmas is simply not fair.

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