Manchester United will play the first of two games in the Far East today as part of a post-season tour set to bank the club £8m.
Manchester United will play the first of two games in the Far East today as part of a post-season tour set to bank the club £8m.
The Old Trafford club concluded their Premier League season on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa just hours before setting off to Malaysia and Hong Kong.
They will take on ASEAN All Stars at the 84,000-capacity Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur today before heading to the Hong Kong Stadium to take on Hong Kong on Friday.
The trip, a key post-season money-spinner, will offset some of the revenue Manchester United will miss out on from not qualifying for the Champions League. Their kit supplier Adidas also has a financial clause worth around £10m relating to qualification for Europe’s top tier of continental club football.
International stars playing for Manchester United will then be released to play for their countries, before returning to Old Trafford for the club’s first pre-season match against Leeds United in Sweden.
Manchester United cuts
The jaunt to the Far East for cash comes as the club’s newest minority owner petrochemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been looking to make a number of cuts at the club.
Job losses have reached the hundreds as the Ineos co-owner looks to reduce outgoings ahead of a major stadium development adjacent to Old Trafford.
And it comes as part of a wider effort by Ratcliffe to change the chemicals firm’s portfolio.
Ineos exited a deal with New Zealand Rugby after the southern hemisphere organisation took them to court over a lack of sponsorship payment – they’ve seen their logo replaced by Toyota.
And Ratcliffe’s America’s Cup bid has not been renewed after a spat with Olympic legend Sir Ben Ainslie.
Elsewhere there have reportedly been talks over selling Ineos’ stake in Ligue 1 club Nice.