Manchester United to visit McDiarmid Park as youth teams square up

ST JOHNSTONE have arranged a home friendly against Manchester United for Tuesday (7.30pm).

It’s a Youth Academy game with t he young Saints facing off against a United Academy side featuring U/16 and U/18 players.

Admission will be giving a donation to the Saints Youth Academy.

The English giants have twice sent youth sides to Perth in the past where the likes of Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood, who have both since played in the Man U first t eam, featured as did Joshua King, the Norwegian international striker now playing in the first team at Bournemouth.

Alistair Stevenson, Saints’ head of youth development, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be welcoming Manchester U n i t e d ’s A c a d e m y to McDiarmid Park once again.

“United decided to travel to Scotland for a training camp at St Andrews and asked the club if we would provide the opposition during their stay.

“Our visitors will field a strong t eam featuring players from their U/16 and U/18 sides and we will also be using players of a similar age.

“However, we will also take the opportunity to field promising youngsters such as Ryan Duncan and Finn Regan who play in our younger age groups.”

Alistair continued: “This is the third time we have hosted Manchester United and t he t wo previous matches were closely contested.

“On their first visit, our hosts left with a 1-0 victory and, upon their return in 2016, it was Saints who came out on top 2-1.

“A number of the Man U players have since progressed into their firstteam set-up, while many of the Saints youngsters from those matches are still with the club and out on loan.”

Mason Greenwood featured at McDiarmid in the past.