United have been drawn at home to Reading in the FA Cup fourth round.
The Royals are currently lying 13th in the Championship and represent one of the easier draws possible for Erik ten Hag’s men, at least on paper.
Another home cup draw will also come as excellent news for the Red Devils as the fixtures start to pile up for their threadbare squad.
In the entire history of the two clubs, Reading have only got the better of United once, in 1927, when they won 2-1, also in the FA Cup.
They are frequent opponents in the competition through some quirk of fate.
The last time the two sides met was in 2019, with United running out 2-0 winners with goals from Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku.
It was 4-0 two years earlier, with goals from Wayne Rooney and the rest from stars hoping to play again this time, Anthony Martial (1) and Marcus Rashford (2).
The tie will take place between the 27th and 30th January, with TV coverage dictating the precise scheduling.
Elsewhere in the draw, a big scalp will inevitably be taken. The winner of Manchester City and Chelsea, who play this afternoon, will face Arsenal if they overcome Oxford.
If Liverpool win their replay against Wolves, they face a difficult away tie on the south coast against in-form Brighton.
With a home tie against Charlton Athletic on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup, United are looking well-placed to advance on multiple fronts.
They also have a chance to advance in the Europa League but face a tricky knockout showdown with FC Barcelona next.
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