With the excitement of the World Cup now over, football fans will now be turning their attention to pre-season friendlies and the International Champions Cup. Manchester United will start their pre-season campaign in the United States as they face Club America on Thursday, July 19th, in Arizona.
Manchester United had a rather average season last time out. The Old Trafford club finished second in the league, runners-up in the FA Cup, made the 5th round of League Cup and got to the round of 16 in the Champions League.
United have signed Brazilian Fred, Portuguese right-back Diego Dalot and English goalkeeper Lee Grant this summer as they aim to win the Premier League for the first time since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Jose Mourinho has left out all players who were part of the 2018 World Cup including Romelu Lukaku, David De Gea, Jesse Lingard, Phil Jones, Marcus Rojo, Marcus Rashford and Victor Lindelof (to name but a few).
Chilean Alexis Sanchez might also miss out on the first match due to visa-related issues. In addition, Daley Blind has been left out of the squad due to his recent departure for the Dutch giants Ajax.
The presence of former U-18 coach, Kieran McKenna, to the first team staff can be seen as the major influence for the presence of seven teenagers in the preseason squad. 16-year old Mason Greenwood, 17-year old James Garner and Angel Gomes, 18-year old Tahith Chong and 19-year old Roshun Williams, Ethan Hamilton and Joshua Bohu have all been added to the preseason squad along with new signings Diego Dalot and Lee Grant.
United kick-start their preseason on July 19th with a match against Club America in Phoenix Stadium. Following that, they travel to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara to face-off against the San Jose Earthquakes.
They will then meet 7-time Champions League winners AC Milan at the StubHub Center in California followed by a mouth-watering clash against eternal rivals Liverpool at the Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbour. United end their USA trip with a match against reigning Champions League winner Real Madrid at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The final preseason match for the Red Devils is back on European soil against Bayern Munich on August 5th in the Allianz Arena.
Manchester United Squad
Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero, Joel Pereira, Lee Grant
Defenders: Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian, Diogo Dalot, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, RoShaun Williams, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe, Demetri Mitchell, Luke Shaw
Midfielders: James Garner, Ander Herrera, Andreas Pereira, Scott McTominay, Ethan Hamilton
Forwards: Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, Joshua Bohui
Manchester United Fixtures | Manchester United Venues
July 19: Club America, Phoenix Stadium, Arizona (UK date and time: July 20, 3 am)
July 22: San Jose Earthquakes, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara (UK date and time: July 23, 00.00 am)
July 25: AC Milan, StubHub Centre, California (UK date and time: July 26, 4 am)
July 28: Liverpool, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor (UK date and time: July 28, 10 pm)
July 31: Real Madrid, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami (UK date and time: August 1, 1 am)
August 5: Bayern Munich, Allianz Arena (UK date and time: August 5, 7.15 pm)