Wrexham will be facing off against Manchester United at the Snapdragon Stadium on Wednesday, 03:30 BST, as we continue our US pre-season tour.
Phil Parkinson’s men have already finished their first week of the US Tour, having most recently run out 4-0 winners against LA Galaxy II, while being defeated by an impressive Chelsea side.
Due to the Red Devils’ upcoming match against Real Madrid, they have decided to turn to youth, naming a number of academy players alongside the experienced Jonny Evans in their squad for the match.
United will also be without Ethan Laird, Zidane Iqbal, Bjorn Hardley and Charlie Savage – who all recently departed the club on a permanent basis.
The upcoming fixture will provide Wrexham with a stern test ahead of their final match of the US Tour on Friday against Philadelphia Union II.
Manchester United’s squad will consist of the following personnel:
Manchester United’s travelling squad
- Sonny Aljofree
- Toby Collyer
- Jonny Evans
- Will Fish
- Isak Hansen-Aaroen
- Elyh Harrison
- Joe Hugill
- Marc Jurado
- Willy Kambwala
- Charlie McNeill
- Dermot Mee
- Mateo Mejia
- Maxi Oyedele
- Logan Pye
- Shola Shoretire
A youthful squad with international experience will make for a tricky test for Parkinson and his squad, which will in-turn consist of:
Wrexham AFC US Tour Squad
- Rob Lainton
- Ben Foster
- Mark Howard
- Callum McFadzean
- Ben Tozer
- Aaron Hayden
- Jordan Tunnicliffe
- Eoghan O’Connell
- Bryce Hosannah
- Jacob Mendy
- Will Boyle
- Ryan Barnett
- Max Cleworth
- Aaron James
- Jordan Davies
- Luke Young
- Liam McAlinden
- Anthony Forde
- Andy Cannon
- Tom O’Connor
- James Jones
- Elliot Lee
- Ollie Palmer
- Paul Mullin
- Billy Waters
- Sam Dalby
Played for both sides
A player that needs no introduction and is fondly appreciated by both teams, Mickey Thomas joined the Red Devils after coming through the ranks at the STōK Cae Ras.
During his time in Manchester, Thomas would go on to make over 100 appearances for the club during 1978-1981, where he became a fans’ favourite at Old Trafford in the process.
While Thomas had an iconic career, his two spells in a Wrexham shirt is what the winger is best remembered for in North Wales.
Thomas spent over a decade at the club in total, recording 349 total appearances during his time in Wrexham, scoring 43 times.
Of the current squad, goalkeeper Ben Foster went on to sign for Manchester United after impressing Sir Alex Ferguson with his performance in goal for Wrexham in the LDV Vans Trophy Final in 2005.
First-team coach David Jones also came through the ranks at Manchester United, before embarking on his own successful Premier League career.
The last time we met
It has been just less than 30 years since we last played Manchester in a competitive fixture, a clash that took place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Wrexham travelled up to the Theatre of Dreams after late success in the previous round against Ipswich Town with Gary Bennett scoring an 86th minute penalty to topple the Tractor Boys.
Over 40,000 fans would be in attendance for the match, where the Red Dragons put up a valiant fight against a side containing Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, Paul Scholes and many other star-studded names.
Despite their best efforts, going ahead through Kieron Durkin in the 9th minute, celebrations would be short lived as United soon responded and eventually ran out 5-2 winners.
How to watch
The fixture will be available to watch on ESPN+ for viewers in the US.
At current, the only place to watch the match in the UK is via MUTV.