Manchester United are already heavily involved in their preparations for the upcoming 2016-17 season, where they will compete in the Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League and Capital One Cup – as well as facing Leicester City at Wembley for the Community Shield.
New manager Jose Mourinho has stated that he wants to bring “four specialists” to the club this summer. Three of those four have already signed their contracts at Carrington – Eric Bailly (centre-back), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (winger/attacking-midfielder) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (striker).
The fourth specialist is the world’s worst-kept secret; Paul Pogba. A deal is yet to be made with Juventus for the Euro 2016 runner-up, but there is an air of confidence among United fans that the one-time FA Youth Cup winner will return to Old Trafford before the start of the season.
But who, where and when will United play their warm-up games? Here is a guide to the pre-season…
Game 1: vs Wigan Athletic, DW Stadium, 16th July 2016
Jose Mourinho’s first game as manager of United will come at the DW Stadium, home to Championship side Wigan Athletic.
This game is one which is most ideal for United’s fans in the UK, as it’s the closest one to Manchester.
The game will kick off at 13:30 BST and could well see Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan make their debuts.
Coincidentally, the Red Devils could come up against a former player in Nick Powell, who was released by United at the start of July and has just signed for the Latics.
Game 2: vs Borussia Dortmund, Shanghai Stadium, 22nd July 2016.
The first official game of the MUTour will take place in Shanghai as United return to the International Champions Cup for yet another pre-season adventure.
The opponents in this one are German giants Borussia Dortmund, who boast the talents of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, former Red Shinji Kagawa, and a refreshed Marco Reus, who was not part of Germany’s unsuccessful European Championship campaign.
To add to the atmosphere, it was Dortmund of course who sold new United signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan this month – the Armenian was a fan favourite, so it will be interesting to see what kind of reception he gets from the opposition supporters in Shanghai.
The game will kick off at 13:00 BST
Game 3: vs Manchester City, Beijing National Stadium, 25th July 2016
United’s third pre-season game, and their second in China this summer, sees them thrown up against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City before the new season has even begun!
It is doubtful that either side plays to their full strength, given that the likes of Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling and Kevin de Bruyne were all involved at the European Championships, whilst City new-boy Ilkay Gundogan is still injured.
However, with the relationship between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola not exactly a pleasant one, this game could still be the one to really start a fire in United’s belly and get them ready for the new season with a strong appetite for glory.
The game will kick off at 12:30 BST
Game 4: vs Salford City, Moor Lane, 26th July 2016
When this game was confirmed, Salford City co-owner and Manchester United legend Gary Neville joked on Twitter that it may be Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s debut – but it is doubtful, because the Red Devils are set to play in Sweden just four days after this game.
The Salford City fixture will be one for the under-21s to play – last season the likes of Ashley Fletcher (who has just moved to West Ham) and James Weir lined up in a thrilling 3-3 draw against the non-league side.
Game 5: vs Galatasaray, Ullevi Stadium Gothenburg, 30th July
With it already known that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not join up with his team mates on their trip to China, it is fairly likely that the Swede will make his United debut in his home country when Mourinho’s men come up against Turkish giants Galatasaray.
The opposition side will likely include Wesley Sneijder, Lukas Podolski and Blerim Dzemaili amongst others, so it will be an entertaining game – but also an important one, as it will be Jose’s final chance to piece together his thoughts on his best starting eleven before the Community Shield game against Leicester City (not including Wayne Rooney’s testimonial).
The game will kick off at 18:30 BST
