Premier League clubs are setting the wheels in motion for their end-of-season plans and Manchester United could be set to emulate a controversial move from their rivals
Manchester United are lining up a post-season trip to Malaysia just 12 months after Tottenham and Newcastle came in for criticism for a money-spinning Australia friendly, it has been claimed.
Spurs and Newcastle flew to the other side of the world just days after the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, drawing criticism for the 21,000-mile round trip. The money-spinning Melbourne friendly came not long before international players from both teams joined their squads ahead of Euro 2024, with England’s then-manager Gareth Southgate voicing concerns at the time.
With 2025 being an odd-numbered year, pressures around the Euros or other major international tournaments won’t be exactly the same. There is still an international break in early June, with England’s World Cup qualfiier away in Andorra among the fixtures.
The Premier League season ends on May 25, just a fortnight before that qualifying match. However, if United get their way, their players will also have responsibilities in between those two dates.
According to The Athletic, United have been eyeing up a Malaysia tour which could net them up to £7.96million. The publication cites early claims from New Straits Times first announcing the plans, while adding that these are now being formalised.
Unlike the last two seasons, the final game in the Premier League will be United’s last of the season. In each of the previous two years, the Red Devils have taken part in the FA Cup final after the league closer, but the Wembley showpiece is earlier this season.
Even if Ruben Amorim’s team reach the final of the Europa League, the final of that competition is on May 21. It is unclear at this stage whether any trip would be for a one-off match of a longer period.
What’s your feeling about post-season friendlies overseas? Have your say in the comments section
Speaking about post-season friendlies back in March, former England boss Southgate expected the trend to continue. “Why? Financial fair play means clubs need to generate their own money, so we’re in a bizarre world where there’s more money in the game than ever before, and yet everyone is scrambling across federations and clubs to generate more,” he said.
United are one of a number of Premier League teams making efforts to cut costs and identify revenue streams to stay the right side of Profit and Sustainability Rules. In addition to fork out millions on summer signings, they paid a hefty eight-figure sum to sack Erik ten Hag and were required to pay significant compensation to land new boss Amorim.
The cost-cutting measures from part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe have ranged from ending Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial deal to removing concessions on ticket prices for the remainder of the season. A number of redundancies have also been made, cutting the club’s staff in efforts to save north of £40m.
A survey of United fans, carried out by the Manchester United Supporters Trust, found nearly two thirds of the supporter are unhappy with how things are being run under Ratcliffe’s watch. The INEOS billionaire saw his partial takeover ratified in February 2024, with his arrival announceed two months before then.
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