Manchester United will play League Two Wrexham AFC as part of their summer tour to the United States.
Wrexham, who were promoted from the National League last season after 15 years outside the Football League, are owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who completed a $2.5 million takeover in November 2020.
Wrexham lost 5-0 to Chelsea in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the opening match of their US tour, but they have been winning hearts and minds stateside.
United manager Erik ten Hag believes the game will be a great experience for a team made up predominantly of under-21 players plus veteran Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans.
The United manager will be on hand to assist under-21s lead Travis Binnion before flying to Houston the next day for his senior side’s match against Real Madrid at the NRG Stadium.
After wins over Leeds in Oslo and Lyon in Edinburgh, the Red Devils beat Arsenal 2-0 at a sold-out MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday.
What is the match?
It is a pre-season friendly between Manchester United and Wrexham.
When does the match take place?
The match is scheduled to take place on July 25 and kick off will be at 7.30pm local time, which will be 3.30am British Summer Time.
Where is the match taking place?
The match will take place at the Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego. So that will be… not entirely handy for supporters from both clubs.
Wrexham are probably recalling some happy memories back in America – owners Reynolds and McElhenney treated them to an all-expenses-paid knees-up in Las Vegas after their promotion last season
Forward Paul Mullin, who scored nine goals during the club’s FA Cup run, said the trip had been “very quiet, just had a few waters by the pool.” Sure. Sure.
What TV channel is it on?
The match will be shown on Manchester United’s MUTV channel.
What have the two clubs said?
United football director John Murtough said:
Pre-season tours are always a great occasion to give opportunities for our most promising young academy players to gain valuable experience in the first-team environment, and this match against Wrexham is a great example of that.
Manchester United has a history of nurturing and promoting youth and this is a chance for not only Erik but also our US supporters to assess the homegrown talent that is developing within our academy, and hopefully to be able to say, ‘I saw him here first’ if some of those players go on to establish themselves as first-team regulars.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson added:
We’re looking forward to being able to play in the United States for the first time in the club’s history.
The tour will be an excellent opportunity for us to prepare for the 2023/24 season and the match against Manchester United will be a competitive fixture and a good test for us as we look ahead to the new campaign.
We enjoy welcoming supporters from the US to the Racecourse Ground, and we’re looking forward to being able to play in front of some of these new fans on American soil in the summer.
How is Manchester United’s pre-season going?
Erik ten Hag was pleased by Manchester United’s display in and out of possession as they kicked off their US pre-season tour with a win against fellow title hopefuls Arsenal.
Having beaten Leeds in Oslo and Lyon in Edinburgh, the Red Devils kicked off the main stint of 2023-24 preparations at a sold-out MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Newly-appointed captain Bruno Fernandes all too easily beat Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale before Jadon Sancho struck following an error by Gabriel in a 2-0 win wrapped up by half-time.
“I think it’s very good,” United boss Ten Hag said. “The way we played, I was really pleased, how active we were in and out of possession.
“That is the way we want to play and that is the only period of the year you can really work in training and translate it to games without it having consequences.
“But still, we want to win, and I think the lads showed we played a good game.”
