Two Manchester United stars are reportedly ‘alarmed’ over the amount of travelling they will undertake this summer. Alejandro Garnacho and Manuel Ugarte will fly a combined 75,000 miles for two Red Devils post-season friendlies and a series of international fixtures.
Garnacho and Ugarte will represent Argentina and Uruguay, respectively, 10 days after United’s final Premier League match against Aston Villa on May 25. But United are said to be finalising plans for two globetrotting friendlies in the week after the 2024-25 season draws to a close. According to The Times, there are proposals for Ruben Amorim’s side to play games in Malaysia and Hong Kong in the final week of May.
Both players will travel just under 20,000 miles if the plans come to fruition. After playing in Hong Kong, Garnacho will then join his Argentina team-mates for an away trip to Chile on June 4 before they play Colombia in Buenos Aires on June 9. Ugarte’s Uruguay fly to Paraguay for a World Cup qualifier on June 4 they host Venezuela in Montevideo on June 9.
Those trips mean Garnacho and Ugarte will both travel a further 10,000 miles from United’s base in Hong Kong to join their national teams. The Professional Footballers’ Association and several club bosses have warned about the risks of players burning out and suffering serious injuries by competing in too many games and travelling too many miles.
Garnacho and Ugarte - who the report adds are ‘alarmed’ about the situation - are likely to be among the United squad that then travels to on the club’s pre-season tour. United have a friendly against rivals Leeds scheduled to be played in Stockholm, Sweden on July 19.
United then tour the US on a trip that will cover around 1,300 miles of travel. The Premier League Summer Series, which begins on July 26, sees Amorim’s side take on West Ham in New Jersey, Bournemouth in Chicago and Everton in Atlanta.
If United’s post-season friendly plans go ahead, both players are picked for their national teams, and then return to play in the 2025-26 pre-season tour, Garnacho will clock up just under 38,000 miles of travel over the summer. Ugarte will come in at a little over 37,000 miles.
That could raise the prospect of a major headache for Amorim ahead of next season. The Portuguese boss may be concerned that two of his best players have not had a proper rest during the off-season.