Manchester United‘s preparations for Saturday night’s Premier League fixture at Newcastle United were disrupted when their flight was cancelled.
Erik ten Hag‘s team were due to fly to the north-east from Manchester Airport at 11am on Saturday morning.
But when the players arrived at the airport to drop their cars off at 10am, they were told their flight was cancelled due to the weather and technical difficulties.
They will now make a three-hour journey by coach to St James’ Park for the 8pm kick-off. The flight time would have been around 30 minutes.
Pictures showed Ten Hag and his players boarding the bus with ice visible on the ground.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and striker Rasmus Hojlund prepare to board the team bus after their flight to Newcastle was cancelled on Saturday morning
United players Victor Lindelof (left) and Marcus Rashford (right) pictured at the airport
Instead of the half-hour flight, Man United will now take a three-hour bus journey to Tyneside
A chilly night is in store at St James’ Park with sub-zero temperatures forecast
Temperatures at Manchester Airport were barely above freezing on Saturday morning and are forecast to hover around -1C in Newcastle at kick-off as the United Kingdom is gripped by a cold snap.
Man United are looking to recover from the disappointment of Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Galatasaray in Istanbul which left their Champions League last-16 hopes dangling by a thread.
But they are the form team in the Premier League, having won five of their last six matches to keep in touch with the top four.
Seventh-placed Newcastle are just a point behind Man United in sixth and have top four ambitions of their own.
They beat Ten Hag’s side 2-0 in the equivalent Premier League fixture last season and won 3-0 at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup earlier in the current campaign.
The match is being played in the later Saturday slot because both teams were involved in Champions League action in midweek, with Newcastle drawing 1-1 away to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
Both teams have a number of players missing for Saturday night’s game.
Manchester United’s Champions League chances hang by a thread after their 3-3 draw with Galatasaray on Wednesday – with their fate out of their own hands ahead of matchday six
Erik ten Hag’s side are bottom of Group A and need favours from elsewhere to progress
Newcastle were moments away from a famous away victory over Paris Saint-Germain
Debate will rage over whether Tino Livramento should have been penalised for a handball after it ricocheted off his chest first
Man United are without seven players – Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen, Mason Mount and Amad Diallo – through injury, with Jadon Sancho still exiled from the first-team.
Howe is without 10 players because of injury – Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, Callum Wilson, Elliot Anderson, Sean Longstaff, Sven Botman, Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes, Javier Manquillo and Matt Targett – as well as the banned Sandro Tonali.
‘We have experienced (tough atmospheres) in the last two weeks with Copenhagen, Everton and Galatasaray,’ Ten Hag told his club’s website
‘We are looking forward again, because that’s the best thing about football that you have such experiences and such challenges.
‘That energises you as an individual and a team. We will be ready for that game.
‘We have to play our best to get the points there. Of course, that’s the objective and we are in a great position.
‘We are smelling the top four. We have to get there and (to do that) you have to win big games.’
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