Manchester United game to go AHEAD despite freezing temperatures in Ukraine

MANCHESTER UNITED’s Europa League tie against Zorya will go ahead tonight after a successful pitch inspection.

The game in Ukraine will be played in -3C, but a Zorya official has said that ‘everything should be okay’.

A Zorya official said: “Everything depends on the weather. The pitch is not brilliant at the moment. We are expecting temperatures of two or three degrees but everything should be okay.”

United trained on the icy pitch on Wednesday night, with defender Daley Blind heard to say ‘it’s like rock’, with team-mates kicking the surface to assess how difficult it will be to play on.

And Red Devils boss Mourinho said Uefa need to think about scheduling group fixtures in Eastern Europe earlier in the calendar.

He said: “The pitch is hard and very icy. Uefa know the conditions of the pitch and everybody knows in mid-December the conditions in Ukraine and Eastern Europe are more difficult.

“If Uefa are worried about it they should change the fixtures and not allow them to be played in mid-December.

“If the fifth fixture is here it’s the end of November and not mid-December and that’s the problem.

“I know it’s difficult to have a better pitch.

“The stadium is beautiful and new. The pitch is the same. They are trying.

“People cannot make miracles. Let’s hope it is OK.”