Manchester United confirmed to play Melbourne Victory at MCG

Manchester United is returning to Australia for the first time in three years, with a preseason tour match against Melbourne Victory scheduled for the MCG in July.

United — whose squad includes big names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire and Paul Pogba —  will play Victory on July 15, in addition to a match against Premier League rivals Crystal Palace at the MCG four days later.

The Premier League giants played the Socceroos at the MCG in 1999.

Their last visit to Australia was in 2019.

«It's a fantastic game to showcase a club like Manchester United in our country,» Victory coach Tony Popovic said in a club statement.

«It's a great opportunity to showcase our club, Melbourne Victory, to the world and a chance for our members and fans to see a special organisation and a club with such a big history.

»It's a great opportunity for our players to come up against the very best and see how they match up against them.

«You see what they can do every week on the TV and then when you come up against them on the pitch, you want to test yourself against it, so it will inspire all of them to get to the level they want to.»

Manchester United defeated the Socceroos 2-0 at the MCG in the first match of its Australian tour in 1999, before winning 1-0 in the second fixture at Sydney's Olympic stadium.

Victory played Liverpool in a friendly at the MCG in 2013, attracting a crowd of 95,000.

Pre-sale tickets will go on sale from Friday.