Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham AFC will take on Manchester United in a preseason contest, with the Deadpool star tweeting his excitement.
Back in November 2020, Deadpool star Reynolds teamed with Rob McElhenney - famed for creating and starring in ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ - to purchase Wrexham for $2.76million. The duo have become symbols of Welsh football around the world with the publicity and exposure their platforms have bought to the club and the area, largely though the popular sports documentary titled ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
Wrexham are currently top of the National League and their American owners have big plans for the future, with games against the Premier League giants believed to be provisionally agreed. Their clash with Erik ten Hag’s side is scheduled to go down in San Diego at the Snapdragon Stadium in July, forming part of United’s preseason tour of the US - their first since 2018 - which will likely feature a match in Las Vegas.
The contest is the opening match of United’s preseason tour to the United States, which will heavily feature young players from the United squad as well as Academy prospects. The match with Wrexham will go down on 25 July as part of a week-long training camp in San Diego.
Manchester United ambassador Andy Cole travelled to San Diego to announce the match alongside Wrexham chairman McElhenney and other officials. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson is excited at the prospect of taking part in a ‘memorable’ event.
“We’re looking forward to being able to play in the United States for the first time in the Club’s history,” Parkinson said. “The match against Manchester United is sure to be a memorable occasion at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego.
“The tour will be an excellent opportunity for us to prepare for the 2023/24 season, and the match against Manchester United will be a competitive fixture and a good test for us as we look ahead to the new campaign.
“We enjoy welcoming supporters from the US to the Racecourse Ground, and we’re looking forward to being able to play in front of some of these new fans on American soil in the summer.”
Manchester United last faced Wrexham in a competitive game back in 1995 in the FA Cup. The match was a fairly comfortable 5-2 victory for then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his side at Old Trafford, and United would go on to lose the FA Cup final 1-0 to Everton.
John Murtough, United’s football director, added: “This will be the first time the team has visited San Diego, and we are looking forward to playing in front of our passionate US fans at Snapdragon Stadium. Pre-season tours are always a great occasion to give opportunities for our most promising young Academy players to gain valuable experience in the first team environment, and this match against Wrexham AFC is a great example of that.
“Manchester United has a history of nurturing and promoting youth and this is a chance for not only Erik but also our US supporters to assess the homegrown talent that is developing within our Academy, and hopefully to be able to say, ‘I saw him here first,’ if some of those players go on to establish themselves as first team regulars.”
