Manchester United

Manchester United to face Wigan Athletic on July 16

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 05 July 2016

Manchester United to begin their preparations for the new campaign with a pre-season match against Wigan Athletic on July 16 at the DW Stadium.

Manchester United will begin their preparations for the new campaign with a pre-season match against Championship outfit Wigan Athletic on July 16.

The travelling squad will not include players that represented their countries at either Euro 2016 or the Copa America, but head coach Jose Mourinho has discussed the 'importance' of the club's opening pre-season fixture.

"The first game against Wigan is very important as I am going to have some players I don't know very well who I am bringing into the first team. I don't know them well but I just trust Nicky Butt [Head of Academy] and John Murtough [Head of Football Development] and the youth structure's judgement," Mourinho told MUTV.

"Obviously I am going to work closely with them and I'm going to have to trust them when they say we have a few players who, in a couple of years, can be first-team players. It's important to know them and give them the opportunity to work."

Following the clash with Wigan, the Red Devils will head to China to face Borussia Dortmund in Shanghai on July 22, before taking on rivals Manchester City on July 25 in Beijing.