Manchester United will visit Thailand and Australia as part of their 2022 pre-season tour ahead of the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season, it has been confirmed.
United, who have not travelled abroad for a pre-season tour since 2019 because of the pandemic, will face arch rivals Liverpool on Tuesday, July 12 in the Thai capital of Bangkok. They will then travel to Australia for back-to-back games against Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
United will face Melbourne Victory on Friday, July 15, kick-off 11:10am BST, before facing Palace a few days later on Tuesday, July 19, kicking-off at the same time. United visited Australia in 2019 as part of their pre-season preparations and faced Perth Glory and Leeds United in Perth.
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Following confirmation of this summer's pre-season tour, United's supporters have been left pondering what the future might hold for midfielder Paul Pogba. That is because he, alongside Alex Telles and Cristiano Ronaldo, has been included on United's advertisement graphic to confirm the tour.
Pogba is out-of-contract at Old Trafford this summer and is expected to leave the club. He has always maintained the stance that he will make a decision at the end of this season, but it is considered highly unlikely that he will stay at the club, especially after he recently described this season as being 'dead'.
Nevertheless, his appearance on the advertisement graphic released by United has left some supporters wondering if he could be set to stay, with the tour taking place beyond the point of when his contract will have expired. Below, MEN Sport has taken a close look at what some of them have had to say on social media.
As you can see from the messages displayed in the tweets above, some United supporters have a theory that Pogba could now be set to stay at the club, while others have questioned why he has been included in the imagery when a departure is expected to be imminent. No contract talks to suggest a change in heart from the Frenchman are understood to have taken place.
Furthermore, United are yet to announce whether or not they will play any friendlies on domestic soil upon their return from Australia. The 2022/23 Premier League campaign kicks-off on Saturday, August 6, which is a week earlier that usual due to the 2022 World Cup.
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