Manchester United will play a match at Hong Kong Stadium at the end of May, multiple sources have told the Post.
The 20-times English champions are likely to face a Hong Kong Select XI, although a suggested May 31 date for the fixture would clash with the local FA Cup final at Mong Kok Stadium.
It was confirmed on Monday that Kai Tak Stadium will stage a Hong Kong Football Festival in July, with Liverpool playing AC Milan on the 26th, and Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur meeting in the first overseas North London derby five days later.
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The new 50,000-capacity venue is staging JJ Lin concerts on May 24 and 25, leaving an impossibly small window to reconfigure it for Manchester United’s visit only days later.
In addition, John Sharkey, the Kai Tak Sports Park CEO, said the stadium’s playing surface had been taken to a “turf nursery” after the weekend’s Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, to be repaired for the marquee July fixtures.
Manchester United are expected to play in Malaysia before coming to Hong Kong, with both matches organised by ProEvents, the long-standing promoters who have previously delivered a number of leading European clubs to Hong Kong and multiple other Asian destinations.
Ruben Amorim’s team could potentially play in the Europa League final on May 21, before wrapping up their Premier League season at home to Aston Villa on May 25.
They are required to release players for international duty after May 31, with the next Fifa window beginning on June 2.
Sources said the Football Association of Hong Kong, China were “meeting every day” to discuss arrangements for the Manchester United match, with a solution for the FA Cup final diary clash sure to be high on the agenda. Either Tai Po or Eastern, the city’s best two teams this season, will contest the final against Football Club or BC Rangers.
Manchester United’s post-season Asian dash will raise questions over player welfare, and there is no indication yet whether the club will be obliged to bring their most recognisable figures.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is set for the Nations League finals with Portugal from June 4 to 8, while Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho could be needed for a World Cup qualifier in Chile on June 4.
Last year, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur played a friendly in Australia three days after the end of the Premier League season, an escapade former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer called “crazy” and “madness”.
Nonetheless, United are in a financial hole after reporting losses of £370 million (US$478m) over the past five years. In the year to June 30, 2024, they recorded a net loss of £113.2 million. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has culled around 450 jobs and increased ticket prices since becoming co-owner in February 2024.
It has been estimated that the flying visits to Malaysia and Hong Kong could earn the Old Trafford club roughly £7.96m.
After taking charge last November, head coach Amorim has struggled to stabilise the listing United ship. They are 13th in the Premier League, following 12 defeats in 29 matches, and were dumped out of the FA Cup by Fulham last month.
The Europa League has provided some respite. Manchester United meet Lyon in this month’s quarter-finals, with a semi-final against either Rangers or Athletic Bilbao the prize for the winners.
Manchester United are not in this summer’s inaugural Club World Cup, but will play pre-season matches in the USA against Premier League rivals West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton.
The three-times European champions last visited Hong Kong in 2013, when they beat Kitchee 5-2 at a packed Hong Kong Stadium.
The Premier League club has been approached for comment.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Arsenal v Tottenham in Hong Kong matters to players and fans, Sagna and King say
- Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, AC Milan to play in Hong Kong football festival this summer
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