Manchester United’s clash against Zorya Luhansk under threat

Jose Mourinho raised his concerns at the state of the icy playing surface in Odessa and an inspection will take place at 8am UK-time tomorrow morning

Manchester United’s Europa League clash against Zorya Luhansk is under threat due to the icy conditions in Odessa, with a pitch inspection set to take place on Thursday morning.

UEFA officials will assess the playing surface at 10am local time (8am UK-time) to decide whether the match will take place tomorrow morning.

This comes after Jose Mourinho slammed UEFA for staging his side’s final Europa League group stage game in sub-zero temperatures in Ukraine.

The pitch is icy and potentially hazardous for the players.

The temperature is set to plunge to -7C, with officials at the Chonomorets Stadium working around the clock to ensure the surface is playable.

But Mourinho was in no mood to spare UEFA any blame, holding them responsible for the state of the pitch by staging the game in early December.

“The pitch is bad, but it’s very cold,” said Mourinho. “The pitch is hard, the pitch is icy.

“I think UEFA know the conditions of the pitch and everyone knows that the conditions in Ukraine and Eastern Europe in mid-December are more difficult.

“So if UEFA was worried about it, they should change the fixtures and not allow it to be played here in mid-December. So I think that is a problem.

“They are trying, they are putting some warmth on top of it, but people cannot make miracles, so let’s hope everything goes well.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan knows the conditions well, having previously played in Odessa for Shakhtar Donetsk, and is expecting a tricky time tomorrow evening.

“Tomorrow’s game will be difficult because of the weather conditions, because it’s difficult to play.

“But I think we will do our best.”