United have confirmed a two-game post-season tour of Malaysia and Hong Kong next month as soon as the season ends. Once they have played their final league game of the season at home to Aston Villa on 25th May, the Red Devils will take on ASEAN All Stars in Kuala Lumpur on 28 May before travelling to play Hong Kong two days later.
Manager Ruben Amorim and his side have a significant fan base in Asia and will likely sell out the games as soon as tickets are available. The Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur holds 84,000 fans whilst the Hong Kong Stadium holds 40,000 in what will be two huge money-making events for a club in need of funds under owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
This tour has caused controversy due to how it comes straight after the season ends which has sparked questions about players' stamina and how they will cope with such an intense football calendar. The Professional Footballers Association has expressed worry for its members who are more likely to pick up serious injuries due to a high intensity workload.
FIFA's expanded Club World Cup and UEFA's larger Champions League format resulted in FA Cup replays being scrapped to try to ease congestion. With United set for an Asian tour as soon as the season concludes, the players have no time to rest and recover and are instead seen as another way to draw in money. Ratfcliffe recently stated that the club would have "run out of cash" by the end of 202,5 and the newly announced tour is another way to create revenue without any thought for what is already an exhausted squad.