Manchester United now considering doing something they’ve only done twice before in the Premier League era

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Manchester United’s 2025/26 campaign is a quieter one than usual, with just one game per week due to no European football.

Having embarrassingly slipped down the Premier League to a record low 14th place finish and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham, there is no Europe for the Red Devils this season.

Ruben Amorim will be getting plenty of time on the training pitch, which he asked for; however, so far, there has been no benefit from this situation of limited fixtures.

In addition, Manchester United lost to Grimsby in the League Cup, which means there are no domestic competitions until January.

As a result, United have free mid-weeks and now Ineos are making plans on how to make use of this situation. With a potential blueprint being considered, which the club has only done twice before.

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Manchester United considering mid-season friendlies to raise funds

With one game a week, United are missing out on match-day income from the usual European ties, and now Ineos has brainstormed a way to replace this income.

United are planning to build a new 100,000-seater stadium, which means the club needs to get its act together on the pitch, as this would be a valuable increase to revenue per game.

However, this is in the near future, right now, Ineos are considering mid-week friendlies abroad to raise funds.

Laurie Whitwell tweeted on Wednesday to explain that Saudi Arabia is one potential destination being considered by United this season, although there is no guarantee it will happen.

The move would raise major funds during an otherwise free time for the players, which could prove vital in the continued financial recovery of the club.

United’s blueprint for this is when PSG faced the Saudi Pro League XI, including Cristiano Ronaldo, in 2023. This one-off fixture saw PSG pocket £8.8m according to the Daily Mail, which could be a lucrative payday for United, if Ineos were able to organise a couple of these fixtures per season.

Ronaldo against United would be the draw, and it could be a blockbuster clash to add cash to the balance for next summer.

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Manchester United have only played mid-season friendlies twice before

Friendlies are a lucrative and easy way for United to bring in money. This year, United has had record revenue, but stopping there isn’t an option as the club continues to fight against poor performances.

United added a post-season tour to the fixture list last season, which pocketed the club £8m for two low-scale outings, which the players barely took seriously.

After this, the logical step from a financial side would be mid-season friendlies, which are not unheard of at Old Trafford.

United have played friendlies mid-season twice in the Premier League era, first against Al Hilal in 2008, as the Mirror reported at the time, months before winning the Champions League.

Secondly, in 2022, United played Cadiz and Real Betis after the World Cup break, which was more due to the month-long hiatus of the league.

Playing a mid-season friendly or two could be huge for United and maybe even offset some of the struggles on the pitch, but Ineos will hope this is a one-off and the club is in Europe next season.