Manchester United return to US for pre-season tour

London (AFP) – Manchester United will return to the United States to begin their preparations for the 2018/19 European season, the English football giants announced Monday.

A two-week tour will start with a match against Mexican side Club America in the Phoenix University Stadium, Arizona, on July 19, with Jose Mourinho’s men facing Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes — a team United great George Best played for — in Santa Clara three days later.

A United statement added details regarding additional warm-up games in the States would be “announced soon”.

“The tour is a central part of the team’s preparation for a long and intense campaign and this is the second consecutive year that we will travel to the US,” said United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. 

“The club, manager and team always receive a great welcome when visiting America, with our millions of US fans always keen to get closer to Manchester United.”

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Since 2010, five visits to the US have seen United welcome more than 1.3 million supporters to games, including over 109,000 fans to see a win over reigning European champions Real Madrid at the ‘Big House’ (the University of Michigan stadium) in Ann Arbor in 2014 –- a record crowd for a football match in the United States.

Manchester United are currently second in the Premier League table but are still a massive 16 points behind leaders Manchester City, with the FA Cup, where they face Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals, the only realistic chance Mourinho’s men now have of winning a major trophy this season.

City can clinch the title as soon as Saturday by beating local rivals United at the Etihad Stadium.