Soccer: Mourinho bemoans Man United's hectic festive fixtures

(Reuters) - Manchester United have been handed an unfair festive schedule compared to their Premier League rivals, manager Jose Mourinho has said.

United, who are second in the table, play four league games in 10 days, starting with a trip to Leicester City later on Saturday, and have a combined six days off during the hectic period.

"We did the simple objective study on that and there is a really big gap between some clubs and other clubs," Mourinho told reporters.

"There are clearly the ones that are really privileged and there are clearly another group of the ones that are really punished by the decisions of the calendar and there are another group in the middle of it where I would like to be.

"I know I would never be in the top group, but in the middle group we would like to be."

Mourinho refused to answer when asked if the league's fixture compilers were to blame, fearing another FA charge following the warning he received for his pre-match comments before the derby against Manchester City this month.

Following the Leicester match, United play Burnley, Southampton and Everton as they try to keep up with their local rivals City, who are 11 points ahead at the top of the standings.

(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru)