Manchester United find themselves looking to turn a dire situation into an incredible opportunity as they hope to use their time effectively throughout the season.
At the end of last season, despite being undefeated in Europe, United lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur, which was their last chance to secure European football for this season.
With The Red Devils missing out on Champions League football, and the extra £100 million in revenue which comes with the club participating in the tournament, United found themselves with significantly fewer midweek matches for this year’s campaign.
Unfortunately, this was only reduced further when Ruben Amorim’s men crashed out of the Carabao Cup after an embarrassing defeat to Grimsby Town, making it the first time Manchester United have been knocked out of a cup by a fourth-tier club.
United are only set for one midweek game before Christmas, hosting West Ham United at Old Trafford on 3rd December. However, with the reduced match schedule, United are looking at their options to make the most of the extra time at their disposal.
Previously it was reported that Amorim was looking at taking the squad on midweek trips to help team bonding and chemistry building, however their most recent plan is much more lucrative.
Now, The Sun has reported that United are looking at planning some midweek friendlies with clubs also not in the Champions, Europa or Conference Leagues.
It’s understood that United are looking at arranging friendlies with AC Milan and Lazio in Italy, as well as LaLiga side Sevilla and Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig, all of which have missed out on European football, much like Amorim’s men.
United are exploring the idea of playing these four sides in places like the UAE to boost revenue, helping to fill the gap that has been left from not qualifying for Europe.
Whilst nothing is booked in just yet, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arranging of the post-tour of Asia at the start of the summer, which generated £7.8 million for the club, shows The Red Devils are committed to using their tine to help get further game time experience and boost revenue.
