Manchester United have confirmed they will play non-league Wrexham AFC as part of their summer tour to the United States.
Wrexham, a National League side, are closing in on promotion to the Football League and owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who completed a $2.5 million takeover in November 2020.
United boss Erik ten Hag is expected to give a chance to the club’s youth players, including their academy prospects.
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. We’ll get to the local bit in a sec.
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.
One man who might enjoy the trip to the US is Wrexham’s Paul Mullin. He scored nine goals during the club’s FA Cup run last season, making him the competition’s top scorer. As a thank-you, the owners Reynolds and McElhenney treated him to an all-expenses paid knees-up in Las Vegas.
Speaking at the FA Cup final, Mullin said the trip had been “very quiet, just had a few waters by the pool.” Sure. Sure.
What TV channel is it on?
This is yet to be confirmed but is likely to be 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.