David Moyes explains why he feels for Manchester United as he issues Declan Rice warning

David Moyes sympathised with Manchester United after they had a two-day recovery period for their fixture at West Ham.

United played away at Brighton on Thursday night even though their previous fixture was at home to Aston Villa on Sunday.

The Premier League have allocated United four Thursday-night fixtures this season, with Chelsea to visit Old Trafford three days before the final day of the season. United also played on a Thursday evening in their League Cup third round defeat of Aston Villa.

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United will have played 17 matches on Thursdays come the end of the campaign yet all five of their domestic games could have been played on Wednesday nights before Sunday matches.

West Ham have also become accustomed to Thursday-Sunday matchweeks through their participation in the Europa Conference League and Moyes expressed solidarity with his counterpart Erik ten Hag.

"I have to say I feel a lot for Manchester United," Moyes said after West Ham's 1-0 win. "They were at Brighton on Thursday, they've had to play here on Sunday night.

"But the fact of that matter is that two-day recovery - we've had it more than any other team in the Premier League this season - and I just thought it took the edge out of Manchester United tonight because of the games programme."

Declan Rice was named the man of the match in West Ham's victory amid mounting uncertainty over his future. Rice is contracted to West Ham until 2025 but he is not expected to sign a renewal and the club could have to cash in this summer.

Rice, 24, has expressed interest in joining United in the past and Moyes suggested he is a greater talent than England teammate Jude Bellingham, seemingly set to join Real Madrid.