Man Utd pair 'alarmed' by gruelling 75,000-mile summer trips across four continents

Man Utd pair 'alarmed' by gruelling 75,000-mile summer trips across four continents

Manchester United are planning to play post-season friendlies in Malaysia and Hong Kong, which will force their players to travel thousands of miles over the summer

Manuel Ugarte and Alejandro Garnacho face crazy schedules (Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images )

Alejandro Garnacho and Manuel Ugarte face a ludicrous travel schedule this summer with Manchester United organising money-spinning friendlies after the Premier League season. United remain in talks over taking part in fixtures in Hong Kong and Malaysia after the conclusion of the 2024-25 domestic campaign.

The club are desperate to raise funds in the Ineos era, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe constantly emphasising the need to make cuts and increase revenue. United have huge fanbases in south-east Asia and have a sponsorship deal with Malaysia Airlines.

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They will reportedly net around £8million for jetting their squad off to Malaysia – reportedly to play against an All-Star XI in Kuala Lumpur on May 28 – and Hong Kong after United’s final Premier League game of the season on May 25. This is despite increased concern among players about burn-out, with the extent of the issue evident in the potential schedules of Garnacho and Ugarte.

United winger Garnacho is hoping to represent Argentina in the days after the Premier League draws to a conclusion. His national team are due to play in Chile on June 4 before travelling to Buenos Aires to take on Colombia five days later.

Meanwhile, Ugarte is slated to represent Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay in Asuncion on June 4 and against Venezuela in Montevideo on June 9. Those matches would come after the proposed friendlies in south-east Asia with United, presenting a travel nightmare for the pair.

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The Times reports that sources close to the United stars suggest they are ‘alarmed’ by the potential jet-setting, with the newspaper estimating Garncho would cover 37,883 miles and Ugarte 37,098 miles while travelling between Europe, Asia, South America and North America.

That is because, as well as possibly going to Hong Kong and Malaysia, United will play Leeds in Stockholm on July 19 and then head to the United States, where they will participate in the Premier League Summer Series, which begins on July 26. Ruben Amorim’s team are due to play West Ham and Bournemouth before their final game against Everton on August 3.

Spurs and Newcastle were criticised for flying to Melbourne to play each other (Image: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images )

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Those games will take place in New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta, not long before the 2025/26 Premier League season kicks off again on August 16.

The idea of post-season friendlies abroad is not a new concept, with Tottenham and Newcastle on the receiving end of a great deal of criticism last summer after jetting off to Australia to play each other three days after the end of the season. "Can you imagine if you're a player who is playing in either the Copa America or Euro 2024 having to do that? Madness. Crazy," Newcastle legend Alan Shearer said on BBC Match Of The Day.

"I wouldn't be happy at all. It's crazy for Newcastle to go and play Spurs there on Wednesday night and then another game."

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