Erik ten Hag is pleased to report his Manchester United players are rested and recharged for the Premier League run-in, after a first game-free midweek since December.
United have already played 57 fixtures so far this campaign and that is more than any other side in Europe’s top five leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain).
A packed calendar is welcomed at United, because it means the team is progressing well in all competitions, but such a relentless schedule does bring an inevitable amount of fatigue.
“We had a week and we needed it, to make a rest, to reload, recharge, to get the energy back,”said the manager during his press conference to preview Saturday’s return to action against Wolves.
“Because we had a lack of it in both games, in the last two games. I see a lot of energy, joy on the pitch and so we could also work in detail on some facts. So it was good.”
The Reds require three wins from four Premier League matches to secure a place in the top four and qualification to next season’s Champions League.
The situation is within our control and, during his press conference on Friday, Ten Hag said he is not expending energy on the good form of fifth-placed Liverpool.
“It's clear, we know that. But it is not important,”he said. “We know that we have everything in our hands and we have to bring our performance and then it is not important.
“What’s important is the opponent we face tomorrow and that's Wolves. We have to take them seriously and they have done a great job, so we must focus on that. They also have deficits so we must take advantage of that and we don't have other opponents than tomorrow.
“Of course we can ignore that [Liverpool’s form], why not? Because it is not important. We have everything in our hands and, as long as we have things in our hands, we are in control. So then as long as we have that, we are not dependent on them, we are dependent on ourselves.”
United v Wolves kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday and you can listen to live radio commentary within the United App.