Manchester United have arranged to play West Bromwich Albion in a friendly match before next Friday’s Premier League return against Tottenham Hotspur, ESPN reports.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were due to face fellow Championship side Stoke City on Tuesday at United’s Carrington training facility, but the game had to be cancelled at the eleventh hour after opposition manager Michael O’Neil tested positive for coronavirus.
As revealed by BBC Sport, Stoke had already arrived in Manchester ahead of the practice match and were in the academy building when they discovered the news of O’Neil’s positive test result.
O’Neil had previously tested negative on five previous rounds of COVID-19 testing.
West Brom could provider sterner opposition for United than Stoke given they are 15 places above Stoke in the Championship table in second place.
But the outcome of the 90 minutes will bare little relevance to Solskjaer who will simply be eager for players to get back to match-sharpness ahead of the crucial run-in.
The date of the proposed friendly against the Midlands club has not yet been confirmed but it may give an opportunity to try out the midfield partnership between Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba that United fans are so desperate to see blossom when we return.
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