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Manchester United have special plans for once the current season ends with a tour of Asia lined up before players return for pre-season.
The Red Devils are scheduled to play two friendlies in Malaysia and Hong Kong which will see the club net £8 million in additional revenue and given the current financial predicament, every pound matters.
After which the 20-time English league champions will be jetting off to the United States for the Premier League Summer Series as part of their pre-season plans.
United’s first of three fixtures is against the Hammers and it will be played in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 26. Their next game is against Bournemouth at Soldier Field, Chicago four days later.
Crazy Air miles
The final game will be against Everton at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on August 3. It will be United’s first-ever game in the US state of Georgia.
Sandwiched between that is a trip to Stockholm to take on fierce rivals Leeds United in the first pre-season game of the season.
While players and pundits have spoken of the need to protect players from burnout, so far nobody has taken a stern action against the ones in charge.
This summer could become particularly gruelling for two members of United’s squad — Alejandro Garnacho and Manuel Ugarte, who could be set to travel more than 37,000 miles as they juggle club and international commitments.
The Times have reported that both players are “alarmed” at the prospect. What happens next is a mystery but eventually it could be Ruben Amorim who pays the price if frequent injuries occur next season as a result of the extensive travel.
Ugarte, Garnacho have it worst
“Two Manchester United players are set to travel more than 37,000 miles over the summer as they combine international duty with playing two post-season friendlies for their clubs.
“Alejandro Garnacho and Manuel Ugarte will represent their national teams in South America ten days after United’s final game of the Premier League season on May 25. However, the club are finalising plans to play friendlies in Malaysia and Hong Kong within that window, which would result in the pair travelling just under 20,000 miles in ten days.
“Sources close to the players have suggested they are alarmed by the prospect of travelling so much after a gruelling season. The PFA and several Premier League managers have recently voiced concerns that players are being forced to play too many matches amid fear of burnout and increased injury risk.”
The report details that the 20-year-old wonderkid will fly away to Chile before travelling to Buenos Aires before the Asia tour. As for Ugarte, the Uruguay international will fly to Paraguay before heading back home.
The sheer volume of fixtures is a concern and hopefully, United can plan accordingly so that key players remain unscathed. This exploitation must stop at some point of time or sooner rather than later, players will rebel.
Feature image Gareth Copley via Getty Images
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