Manchester United players will have no time to rest after finishing their Premier League campaign in May.
After the 0-0 draw with Manchester City on the weekend, there are just seven games remaining in the Premier League, ending with a visit from Aston Villa where Marcus Rashford will be ineligible to face his parent club.
It was rumoured that Manchester United could travel to Malaysia for post-season fixtures, and that has now been confirmed by the club.
The Red Devils will face ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong on the 28th and 30th of May.
The post-season tour has been slammed as a “money-grab” by Ineos, and it turns out it will have quite a significant financial impact.
How Man United’s tour will fund £40m signing for Ineos
It is no secret that United have been struggling financially with Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirming that United were going bust by the end of 2025 before he stepped in.
If Ineos plan on backing Ruben Amorim with signings this summer, they need to raise cash to balance out their PSR calculations – the post-season tour is their latest attempt to do just that.
Journalist Chris Wheeler has claimed that United are set to earn around £8million from their two post-season games.
The Premier League amortisation rules state that clubs can spread the cost of new signings over five years, meaning that an £8m PSR boost can actually afford a new £40m signing this summer.
It is a tactic that has been heavily utilised by Premier League rivals such as Chelsea, who have signed players on extremely long contracts to spread the cost of their transfer fees.
It also suggests that post-season tours such as this could become a norm for clubs such as United who are looking to raise extra PSR funds for summer spending.
Post-season tours are a ‘nightmare’ for managers
While Amorim may be looking forward to being backed by new signings in the summer, extending the season and hauling the United squad to Malaysia just days after the season probably isn’t what he’d call ideal.
When post-season tours were growing in popularity, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger suggested they were a “nightmare” for managers.
As quoted by the Daily Mail, Wenger said: “Post season tours are a nightmare – I will never do it.”
READ MORE: Ineos plan to smash Man United transfer record as they plot £100m-plus summer overhaul
It seems there won’t be much time off for Amorim and his players at all this summer with United confirming a pre-season clash with Leeds United before they set off on their tour of the United States.
United will compete in the Premier League Summer Series in the US, where they are scheduled to play a minimum of three games across July and early August.
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