Mourinho bemoans mounting fixture list

JOSE Mourinho complained about Manchester United's mounting fixture list after seeing them safely through to the FA Cup fifth round.

United stepped up after a lacklustre start to beat Championship Wigan 4-0 at Old Trafford with goals from Marouane Fellaini, Chris Smalling, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and the returning Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Mourinho was pleased with the result but fears there could be a price to pay as United's schedule gets even more congested.

United are already through to the EFL Cup final, which means a Premier League derby clash against Manchester City needs to be rearranged, while their Europa League campaign also resumes next month.

Mourinho said: "We are going to have a very difficult season compared with other clubs. Liverpool will play 16 matches until the end of the season, Chelsea will play 16 plus some in the FA Cup and we are in this really crazy situation.

"Southampton will have 15 days without football before the final. In those 15 days we are going to play two matches against Saint-Etienne and the next round of the FA Cup, so the calendar in the best country of world football is nonsense."

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United offered little until Fellaini headed home a cross from Schweinsteiger, who was making his first start for more than a year, in the 44th minute. Until then Wigan had more than held their own and they remained competitive until Smalling headed the second just before the hour.

Mourinho said: "The first half was not good. I think we did nothing to be winning but that goal gave us a different second half and gave me a chance at half-time to speak with the players and try to make them feel the first half was not good enough.

"The second half was different, we put a completely different pace into the game, much more intense defending and more intense in the passing and movement. Then, if you play like this, game over. So, the second half was good."

United's final two goals came in the latter stages and Wigan boss Warren Joyce felt that put an unfair slant on the score.

The former United coach said: "For 60 minutes I was really pleased and the last 20 you can forget about because we were going gung-ho, chasing the game, and 4-0 probably flatters Manchester United."

Mourinho confirmed Schweinsteiger, who was frozen out of the first-team picture earlier this season, would be staying beyond tomorrow's transfer deadline.

He would not be drawn on fresh reports claiming captain Wayne Rooney might move to China.

The FA Cup fifth round draw takes place tonight at approximately 7.20pm.