Premier League fans have made their feelings clear about a new rule change that has come into effect ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Fulham.
United and Fulham kick off the 2024/25 Premier League season at Old Trafford on Friday evening.
This marks the first time since August 2018, when United defeated Leicester 2-1, that they have played on the opening day of a Premier League season.
The upcoming season will bring significant changes for United, including high-profile transfers such as centre-backs Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro.
While Yoro is absent from the squad named by manager Erik ten Hag due to a pre-season injury, De Ligt will be participating at Old Trafford.
Fans might have observed that United and Fulham announced their line-ups earlier than usual, due to a new Premier League rule.
Traditionally, teams would release their line-ups an hour before kick-off, but this season, the process has changed. Now, team sheets are made public 75 minutes before the start of each Premier League match. This adjustment aligns the Premier League with UEFA, which follows the same procedure for European fixtures.
Unfortunately for Fantasy Premier League players, the change does not affect FPL deadlines, which remain 90 minutes before the kick-off of the first match of the gameweek.
This has led fans to question why the deadline cannot be adjusted to allow for changes after the official line-ups are released, with some expressing dissatisfaction with the new rule. One fan commented, “What’s the purpose of this rule change? The one-hour pre-kick-off line-up release seemed adequate.” Another added, “The deadline is still 90 minutes before kick-off, so what’s the benefit?”
A third fan remarked, “That doesn’t help if it’s after the deadline.”
A fourth fan said, “Great idea. I’ve often thought the game would be better if we knew the line-up 15 minutes earlier.”
