Man United to play in Malaysia three days after Aston Villa tie
Manchester United will play a match in Malaysia just three days after the conclusion of the Premier League season.
The 20-time English champions face Aston Villa on 25 May on the last day of the season before taking on the ASEAN All Stars at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on 28 May.
Two days later they will travel to face Hong Kong, just a week after a potential Europa League final should Ruben Amorim’s side reach the showpiece European match.
The move comes after FA Cup replays were cancelled across England this season due to unnecessary schedule demands being forced upon players. But end-of-season and pre-season tours are money spinners for Premier League clubs.
Manchester United will also take part in the Premier League Summer Series across July and August in the United States, after Manchester City and Chelsea reach their season conclusions in the Club World Cup in North America.
Manchester United to get significant additional revenue
Amorim’s side will face West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton across the pond – as well as Leeds United in Stockholm – before the Premier League gets underway in the middle of August.
Omar Berrada, chief executive officer at Manchester United, said: “We appreciate the amazing level of support that Manchester United enjoys around the world and this summer we are delighted to deliver a schedule that provides our fans in Asia, Scandinavia and the United States the opportunity to connect with the club and watch the men’s first team play live in local settings.
“Importantly, Tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch. They also create unique opportunities for us to collaborate with our valued commercial partners, and to deepen relationships with our fans in regions such as Asia and the US.”
Manchester United are currently looking to build a 100,000-seat stadium adjacent to their Old Trafford site.
Berrada insisted the stadium could be built within five years of the first spade in the ground.