Manchester United and Liverpool are set to face off in a prestigious pre-season exhibition match, according to organisers of the Fresh Air Festival in Thailand.
It will be one of the first opportunities for United's new manager to take a look at his squad ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. While the Red Devils are yet to appoint a permanent successor to Ralf Rangnick, the process to find their new boss has begun with the likes of Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino in the running.
Liverpool had begun talks over a Far East tour earlier in the year, with Bangkok and Singapore the likely destinations. And a date has been set for the former, with Jurgen Klopp's Reds due to face United on July 12.
According to a statement from Fresh Air Festival, the two Premier League sides will go head to head in the 'Bangkok Century Cup'. A countdown clock is live on the festival website, with just over 100 days to go.
There will also reportedly be a press conference on March 31, featuring former United striker Andrew Cole and ex-Liverpool defender Phil Babb. Irish international Babb played more than 100 Premier League games for the Reds in a six-year spell, while Cole was part of United's Champions League winning team in 1999.
It would be the first pre-season meeting between the clubs since an International Champions Cup clash back in 2018. On that occasion, goals from Sadio Mane, Daniel Sturridge, Sheyi Ojo and Xherdan Shaqiri gave Liverpool a 4-1 win, with Andreas Pereira on target for their opponents.
Would you travel to Thailand to see Liverpool v Man Utd? Have your say in the comments section
In both of the last two close-seasons, Premier League teams have been restricted to domestic friendlies in preparation for the upcoming campaigns. Liverpool's last pre-season friendly came against Lyon in Geneva in July 2019, while United played games in Norway and Wales either side of that fixture.
United haven't beaten Liverpool since March 2018, when Jose Mourinho was still in charge at Old Trafford. However, they did knock Klopp's men out of the FA Cup in the 2020-21 season, with Bruno Fernandes scoring the decisive goal.
The Red Devils will hope to have a new manager in place by July 12, with the 2022-23 Premier League season due to get underway just a month later. Ten Hag is among those to have been interviewed, and Gerry Hamstra - technical manager at the Dutchman's current club Ajax - seems to have offered United some encouragement.
"He still has an ongoing contract with Ajax, but we also all know how the world works," Hamstra told Voetbal International. "Erik is a professional and focuses on this season himself, on the important months ahead in which the prizes will be distributed. The future will tell, but it is clear that Erik is very important for Ajax."
