Manchester United are discussing the possibilities of taking part in a Saudi Arabia-hosted midseason friendly, according to reports.
The club have started talks with the relevant shareholders regarding their potential involvement in such a match, and the Middle East has been mooted as an option to host.
The Red Devils embarked on a historically bad 2024–25 campaign, and results haven’t turned for Ruben Amorim at the start of the new season. United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League Two Grimsby Town in the second round, and they’re yet to record back-to-back Premier League wins under the Portuguese manager.
Saturday’s 3–1 defeat to Brentford leaves them 14th in the Premier League table.
The absence of European football this term, as well as their early Carabao Cup exit, means Amorim’s side have plenty of free midweeks to enjoy up until the start of December. According to The Athletic, the club are thinking about utilising this spare time by travelling afar for a midseason friendly, which would certainly be a rarity for a Premier League club.
United are looking into potential opponents, but they cannot arrange the friendly until Premier League match dates have been fixed.
While a trip to the Middle East would allow Amorim’s squad to train in warm weather amid the dropping temperatures, there’s no overlooking the financial incentives, too. A midseason friendly in Saudi Arabia has the makings of a lucrative occasion for the Red Devils, who supposedly have £750 million ($1.1 billion) in debt and, for 2024–25, posted their sixth consecutive financial loss.
The club also missed out on an extra £85 million ($115 million) by failing to qualify for this season’s Champions League, having lost in the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur. Amorim was also insistent that the club pull the plug on an All or Nothing Amazon documentary that could’ve netted an extra £10 million ($13.64 million).
Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season, an annual entertainment and sports festival, typically runs from October to March, and welcoming Manchester United would be a major coup for General Entertainment Authority (GEA) chairman Turki Al-Sheikh, who’s been instrumental in boxing’s increased prominence in the country, and has been linked with taking over EFL Championship club Bristol City.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd ’Exploring’ Potential Saudi Arabia Midseason Friendly.
