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Manchester United have reached the United States and their Pre-Season officially starts from 19th of July. It is generally a time to get up to pace with the team and slowly slot the new signings into the work ethics and systems of the club.
Jose Mourinho has mentioned that none of the 12 Manchester United players who took part in the World Cup would be available for the opening game of the season against Leicester City on August, as they enjoy their 3 weeks off from Football.
But Manchester Evening News has noted that since De Gea and Nemanja Matic were eliminated early in the tournament, they might recover in time to start the first game of the season. However, none of them are expected to be involved in pre-season.
Squad News:
Manchester Evening News has reported that Diogo Dalot has traveled with the squad, while Sergio Romero is also in the pre-season team. Another new signing, Lee Grant is in the squad as well.
Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian, Timothy Fosu-Mensah Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe, Demetri Mitchell, and Luke Shaw are the regular defenders in the team, while teenager RoShaun Williams has also made the list.
The midfielders include Ander Hererra, Andreas Pereira, Scott McTominay, Juan Mata and youngsters James Garner, and Ethan Hamilton. Antony Martial is the only recognized striker in the squad as of now, with rookies Mason Greenwood, Joshua Bohui and the extremely talented Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes completing the squad.
Alexis Sanchez is the notable absentee, with the Daily Mail reporting that visa troubles have kept the Chilean from joining the squad in the US. Manchester United are working hard to get him on a flight in time to face their first opponent on 19th July. As the team settles down in the US and gears up for the pre-season, we take a look at the 6 teams United will play, with 5 of them in the United States and one in Europe.
#6 Club America – 19th July
Club America is a Football Club of Mexico that plays in the Liga MX, the top professional league in Mexico. Founded in 1916, it is one of the most successful clubs of the country, with 12 league titles won, and 5 Copa Mexico titles, both joint highest, shared with local rivals Guadalajara.
Club America also have 5 Campeon de Campeones Cups. They also have 10 FIFA recognized international club trophies, which is the most for a club from CONCACAF region.
Manchester United have faced Club America before, on Pre-Season in 2015. Then, under Louis Van Gaal, a Morgan Schneiderlin header in the 5th minute was enough for United as they went on to win 1-0 in an open, entertaining encounter. The match is scheduled for 19th July 2018, at University of Phoenix Stadium.
#5 San Jose Earthquakes – 22nd July
The Goonies, as they are also called, was founded in 1994 and is a Football team from San Jose, California, United States, who play in the Major League Soccer. They have won two MLS Cups and two Supporter’s Shields.
United have played San Jose Earthquakes before, in the pre-season in 2015, when Juan Mata, Memphis Depay, and Andreas Pereira gave the Red Devils a fine 3-1 win. The pre-season fixture is scheduled for 22nd July, at Levi’s Stadium.
#4 AC Milan – 25th July
AC Milan will probably be the first real test of a United side, without many of its first team members in the pre-season, but it will be a great experience for the other members of the squad to impress their manager and stake a claim for a regular start.
The Italian giants did not have a great time last season and finished 6th in the Serie A. But with Gennaro Gattuso at the helm, AC Milan will have a bite about them even in Pre-Season.
The last time United faced Milan was in the Pre-Quarterfinal round of the UEFA Champions League in the 2009-2010 season. United won 2-3 in the away round and 4-0 at home, advancing to the Quarter Finals.
The side the two sides faced each other in preseason was 14 years ago in 2004, when AC Milan won the game after penalties, with the score 9-8. The pre-season fixture is scheduled for 25th July, at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
#3 Liverpool – 28th July
Manchester United vs Liverpool is a fixture that needs no introduction. It is one of the fiercest rivalries in Club Football; a game watched by millions in the world. Liverpool has strengthened over the summer in a bid to better their finish from last season when they ended 4th in the League and also runners-up in the UEFA Champions League.
They have already added Naby Keita, Fabinho and Shaqiri to their team and even in preseason, neither team would want to lose this game. Incidentally, United faced Liverpool twice in the English Premier League, drawing the away game at Anfield 0-0 and winning the home game at Old Trafford 2-1.
The pre-season game is scheduled for 28th July, at the Michigan Stadium, in front of what is expected to be a 100000 people watching from the stands.
#2 Real Madrid – 31st July
Manchester United face Real Madrid in the final game of Pre-Season in the United States. Real are reigning UEFA Champions League Champions, and have also won the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and the Supercopa de Espana last season.
But with the departure of Ronaldo and Zidane, the Spanish giants will be in disarray. There are no notable inclusions to report.
Manchester United have faced Real Madrid twice last season. In the preseason in the US, the game ended 1-1 and United won 2-1 on penalties. In just over a fortnight, the two sides met again in the UEFA Supercup, which Real Madrid won 2-1. The penultimate pre-season game is scheduled for 31st July, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
#1 Bayern Munich – 5th August
After returning from the US, Manchester United will head to the Allianz Arena to face old foes Bayern Munich. The German side were the winners of the Bundesliga last season and also won the DFL Supercup. They were runners-up in the DFB Pokal.
United last faced Bayern Munich in Quarter Final of the Champions league in 2014. In the home leg at Old Trafford, the game ended 1-1, whereas United lost the away leg 1-3.
The last game of the pre-season is scheduled for 5th August, at the Allianz Arena.
