Manchester United take on Wrexham in their first pre-season friendly of the summer on Saturday, but the two clubs have previously met in competitive encounters dating back to 1957.
There is plenty of history between Manchester United and Wrexham, with five players having represented both clubs throughout their careers, including Ben Foster.
Although Wrexham have spent most of their history in the lower tiers of English football, and are currently competing in the Championship, United faced the Welsh outfit five times in competitive competitions.
Two of the most intriguing clashes between United and Wrexham took place in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1990.
Man Utd have CONFIRMED the players who travel to face Wrexham – What are your thoughts?
No Benjamin Sesko in the squad…
Man Utd’s 1990 European double-header vs Wrexham
For starters, we must look at how Wrexham qualified for the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1990.
The Welsh outfit, which historically competes in the English football pyramid, qualified for Europe by winning the Welsh Cup.
Wrexham competed against the likes of Cardiff City, Swansea City, and Newport County in the Welsh Cup. The winner would be granted a spot in the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
That led to an all-British second-round tie between United and Wrexham, with the first leg having taken place at Old Trafford on October 23, 1990.
United won the game 3-0 courtesy of goals from Brian McClair, Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister.
At the Racecourse Ground for the second leg on November 7, United won 2-0, with Mark Robins and Bruce getting on the scoresheet.
The two legs ended with United beating Wrexham 5-0 on aggregate to book a place in the quarter-finals against Montpellier.
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- Manchester United played Wrexham in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1990
- The Reds won the tie 5-0 over two legs
- United went on to beat Montpellier in the quarter-finals
This is how Man United lined up vs Wrexham when the sides last met in 2023
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Man Utd went on to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup
After beating Montpellier 3-1 over two legs in the quarter-finals, United saw off competition from Legia Warsaw in the semi-finals.
That led to an incredible 2-1 final win over Barcelona in Rotterdam.
It was United’s first continental final since the European Cup triumph in 1968, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lifted the trophy after beating Johan Cruyff’s side.
The goals came from Bruce and Mark Hughes.
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