Manchester United to face club legend Wayne Rooney’s Derby in one of four pre-season fixtures

Manchester United will face club legend Wayne Rooney’s Derby County in the first of four games in pre-season leading up to the new Premier League campaign.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men also play another Championship side in Queens Park Rangers six days later on 24 July, before meeting newly-promoted Brentford and Everton in late July and early August.

Last season’s Premier League and Europa League runners-up then kick off the new season against Leeds on home soil on the either 14 or 15 August.

A week-long training camp in the UK is planned between facing the Rams and Rooney – who is United’s all-time top scorer with 253 goals – and QPR, while they will face the Premier League duo on home soil at Old Trafford.

‘This year’s pre-season schedule has been planned with the current travel restrictions in mind, whilst providing Ole and the players with the best possible preparations for the new season,’ United chief operating officer Collette Roche said.

‘Playing two pre-season matches at Old Trafford will also give us another opportunity to welcome fans back safely into the stadium ahead of the new Premier League season.’

There however is no room in the pre-season calendar for two pre-season friendlies against arch rivals Liverpool.

Sportsmail revealed in April that the two Premier League giants were in discussions to face each other at United’s home in July and then on Merseyside a month later.

The plan was for fans to be welcomed back to both sporting arenas as part of the process of bringing supporters back into stadiums ahead of the new season when it was believed that all coronavirus restrictions were set to be lifted on Monday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has since delayed that relaxation of restrictions until 19 July, but on Monday admitted it was ‘looking good’ that the date will be the ‘terminus point’ for England’s coronavirus restrictions.

But United have announced that the number of fans able to attend Old Trafford in addition to any away fan allocations will be made in line with the Government’s guidelines, and will be reviewed when the guidance for sports events is updated.

United will be hoping for a strong start to their pre-season as they attempt to improve on their second place finish in the Premier League in 2020-21.

The club will also be looking to end their four-year wait for a trophy in the upcoming campaign, having lost the Europa League final to Villarreal in May. 

The Red Devils are also hopeful of having welcomed new additions by the time their pre-season gets underway next month.

Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has been linked with a move, having turned down a new deal at the Bernabeu, where he has just 12 months left on his contract.

But Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly ready to rival United for the £43million-rated defender, who is currently away with France at Euro 2020.