What January has in store for United

Our men’s team will look to set the tone for a successful year, with Erik ten Hag's side still competing in both the Premier League and the FA Cup.

Meanwhile, our women’s team will enjoy a training camp in Malta before their season gets back under way, with our Under-21s and Under-18s also set to get back in the groove of their respective campaigns after a brief period off over Christmas.

Read on to find out more about what’s ahead for our Reds on all fronts over the next month…

MEN’S TEAM

By last season’s standards and, with the fixture congestion Erik ten Hag’s side have endured for much of managerial tenure thus far, it’s set to be a quiet month on the pitch for United.

Our men’s team have just two fixtures currently pencilled in for January, potentially rising to three, and will begin the year in earnest next Monday night in the Emirates FA Cup third round.

It’s a short trip across Greater Manchester to the DW Stadium to face Wigan Athletic at our first hurdle of the oldest cup competition in world football, as we hope to again make the showpiece final at Wembley come the end of the campaign.

We also played our first fixture of the calendar year away to Wigan in 2013, when Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez grabbed a brace apiece in a 4-0 triumph.

Our only Premier League game of the month will then see the Reds host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 14 January, for what could also be our sole men’s team game at Old Trafford in January. Ange Postecoglou’s side were 2-0 winners in the reverse fixture back in August. 

Ten Hag’s side will then enjoy a brief winter break the following weekend, of 20/21 January, but will hope to have one more game to close out the month. The winner of our FA Cup tie against Wigan will contest a fourth-round fixture on the weekend of 27/28 January.

While the Premier League then returns for a round of midweek fixtures from 30 January, United’s game away to Wolves has been scheduled for Thursday 1 February.

MEN’S JANUARY FIXTURES

Mon 8 Jan: Wigan v United (20:15 GMT)
Sun 14 Jan: United v Tottenham (16:30 GMT)

WOMEN'S TEAM

Marc Skinner’s side return from the winter break in early January, heading off to a warm-weather training camp in Malta for the second consecutive year. The Reds will spend five days there, between the 3rd and 8th, as we prepare for the restart just a week on from returning.

While there, United will take on Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven in what will be our first, albeit friendly, outing of 2024. Our first competitive fixture of January comes in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, where we will face Newcastle United at Leigh Sports Village in the fourth round.

It is the first time the two sides have faced each other, as United look to go one better in the cup after finishing runners-up last term. A week later, a huge Women’s Super League clash awaits as we travel to the capital to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a lunch time kick-off. It provides the perfect opportunity for the Reds to close the gap on Emma Hayes’ side, who currently sit seven points ahead of us.

Skinner’s team can secure safe passage to the quarter-finals of the Continental Tyres Cup with at least a draw over rivals Manchester City for our penultimate game of January, with United currently two points ahead Gareth Taylor’s side in Group B. We’ll then round off the month with a visit from Aston Villa in the league, for yet another lunchtime kick-off as we look to complete the league double over Carla Ward's team.

WOMEN’S TEAM JANUARY FIXTURES

Fri 5 Jan: United v PSV Eindhoven (17:00 GMT)
Sun 14 Jan: United v Newcastle (12:00 GMT)
Sun 21 Jan: Chelsea vs United (12:30 GMT)
*Wed 24 Jan: Man City v United (19:00 GMT)
*Sun 28 Jan: United v Aston Villa (12:00 GMT)
*Date and kick-off times to be confirmed.

UNDER-21s

Like our men’s team, our Under-21s are set for just a handful of outings during January, with two Premier League 2 dates in the diary.

Unbeaten in our last four matches in the competition, Travis Binnion’s side will first travel to Chelsea on Friday 12 January, with the Blues three points adrift of United in the standings as we meet under the lights at Kingsmeadow. The young Reds then return to Carrington a fortnight later, hosting Norwich City in another evening kick-off.

A host of Reds from the Under-21s have been involved for the first team recently – with Willy Kambwala stepping up for his debut against West Ham before Christmas, while Dan Gore also received a first taste of Premier League action off the bench against Aston Villa.

UNDER-21s JANUARY FIXTURES

Fri 12 Jan: Chelsea v United (19:00 GMT)
Sat 27 Jan: United v Norwich (19:00 GMT)

UNDER-18s

Our Under-18s have an action-packed January awaiting them on their return to action in the new year, with U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup action on the horizon.

Adam Lawrence’s side will travel to the north-east to face Newcastle in their first outing of 2024, before hosting City for the U18’s Manchester Derby a week later in an 11:00 GMT kick-off.

Our FA Youth Cup tie against Swindon has also been pencilled in for January, but the date of that game is to be confirmed as the young Reds attempt to emulate our successes of 21/22.

We then end the month with a duo of league fixtures, both of which are at Carrington. We first host Leeds in an 11:30 GMT kick-off, before a midweek clash with Liverpool the following Tuesday in an evening kick-off.

UNDER-18s JANUARY FIXTURES

Sat 13 Jan: Newcastle v United (12:30 GMT)
Sat 20 Jan: United v Man City (11:00 GMT)
TBC: Swindon v United (19:00 GMT)
Sat 27 Jan: United v Leeds (11:30 GMT)
Tue 30 Jan: United v Liverpool (19:00 GMT)