Melbourne, Bangkok dates for United in July
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LONDON • Manchester United have confirmed they will play friendlies in Australia and Asia this summer as Premier League teams resume their pre-season tours for the first time since they were stopped owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Liverpool yesterday said Jurgen Klopp's side will travel to Bangkok to face United at the Rajamangala National Stadium on July 12, in a clash dubbed the "Red War" by Thai media and fans.
"Since the start of the pandemic, we've been unable to travel for pre-season, so we're extremely excited to be able to visit our supporters globally once again and compete in games like 'The Match'," Reds' commercial director Ben Latty said. "This trip to Bangkok will be very special."
The Red Devils will then fly to Australia to first take on A-League club Melbourne Victory on July 15 and then fellow English top-flight side Crystal Palace at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) four days later.
A bumper crowd is expected at the 100,000-capacity stadium.
When Liverpool played Victory at the MCG in 2013, there were over 95,000 fans and organisers are expecting similar crowds as this will be United's first visit to Melbourne since 1999.
"It has been (more than) two years since the club has been able to travel on an international pre-season tour so we can't wait to get going and reconnect with our fans in Australasia," said United chief operating officer Collette Roche.
"Our matches in Melbourne will be a wonderful opportunity for international fans to see their favourite players up close."
The tour will likely come after a trophy-less season for United, who will probably have a new full-time manager in charge by then.
Meanwhile, a British teenager has been sentenced to six weeks in jail after racially abusing Marcus Rashford on Twitter after last year's Euro 2020 final at Wembley, where the United forward missed a penalty for England in the shoot-out defeat by Italy, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Justin Lee Price, 19, was convicted of sending an offensive message by public communication network.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
