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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Alex James & Matthew Abbott

David Beckham glimpse, Eric Cantona fall-out and the story of Manchester United vs Wrexham

Manchester United will meet Wrexham this summer in the States, 27 years after their last competitive meeting which yielded seven goals and a glimpse into the changing of the guard at Old Trafford.

The two sides will meet in San Diego in July after a friendly fixture was confirmed this week. Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney starred alongside Sir Alex Ferguson in an announcement video. Back in 1995 the prospect of Hollywood actors owning Wrexham was about as far fetched as you could imagine while Ferguson was in the dug-out as the Dragons visited United.

It was the holders versus the underdogs. Wrexham were mid-table in the third tier while United had won the Premier League and the FA Cup the previous season.

READ MORE: Sir Alex Ferguson joins Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in brilliant video

The game itself was played against the backdrop of Eric Cantona's suspension, coming just three days after his infamous kung-fu kick into the crowd at Crystal Palace. The Frenchman had been on target in the last round as United defeated Sheffield United while Wrexham stunned top flight Ipswich Town, a sign of the problems they could pose.

Those problems were evident inside the first 10 minutes as Kieron Durkan slotted the ball past Peter Schmeichel. United had handed a full debut to Phil Neville, while Paul Scholes was named in attack in one of his fledgling appearances for the club. A certain David Beckham came off the bench in the second half.

All three would go on to play pivotal roles in the club's history and the cup tie hinted at what was to come in the summer when Ferguson jettisoned experienced players Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes to promote the Class of 92 stars. Phil Neville enjoyed an accomplished debut, providing the assist for Ryan Giggs' goal, which came soon after Denis Irwin had levelled.

Brian McClair added a third after the break before Irwin scored his second from the penalty spot after Tony Humes felled Paul Ince. It went from bad to worse for the Wrexham defender as a fifth inadvertently went in off his head. Jon Cross would reduce the deficit with a long-range effort that deflected off David May to catch Schmeichel off guard and give the 5,000 travelling supporters one last Old Trafford moment to savour.

READ NEXT:

  • United to face Wrexham in San Diego pre-season friendly
  • United vs Wrexham ticket details, kick off time and venue as USA details emerge
  • United vs Wrexham stadium: Capacity, who plays there, have Utd been there before?
  • United US tour: Wrexham friendly venue and date confirmed as first details emerge
  • All the latest United news and views
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