Manchester United have finalized an audacious plan - to travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to host a much-anticipated end-of-season friendly as the season draws to a close, sports media outlet The Athletic has revealed. The move is expected to bring the Red Devils club up to $10 million (around £7.96 million, €9.6 million) in extra revenue.
The plan is now in steady progress. United plan to embark on their journey to Malaysia immediately after the domestic and European fixtures. This season, United's schedule is tight, the Premier League finale is scheduled to be staged on May 25, the FA Cup final has been moved forward to May 17, while the UEFA Cup decider will be played on May 21 in Spain.
It is worth noting that in recent years, Premier League teams have joined the trend of overseas pre-season tours, and Manchester United is no exception, having traveled to the United States and other places to start friendly matches in the summer on several occasions. And with the rise of the playoff model, more and more clubs are beginning to experiment with overseas tours at the end of the season, not only to expand their revenue channels, but also to meet the financial requirements of the Premier League and UEFA.
Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United were among the first Premier League teams to experiment with the playoff concept, and on May 19, 2024, just three days after the curtain went down on the Premier League, the two teams played a rewarding friendly at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
Manchester United officials have chosen to remain silent on this report, but internal sources have revealed that all the plans have not yet been finalized, with plans for United's 2025 showpiece still in the works. Although the specific details have yet to be revealed, United fans are already looking forward to this upcoming end-of-season friendly, hoping that the team can show strong athleticism and team cohesion on the field in a foreign country.
