Reds to defend the Memorial Claudio Sassi, but won’t play in the Blue Stars

United’s U18s will return to northern Italy early next month to defend the Torneo di Calcio Memorial Claudio Sassi, but the club won’t be taking part in the annual FIFA Blue Stars Youth Cup in Switzerland this May.

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U18s set for Italian Job

United’s academy side will be heading to Northern Italy next month to participate in the Torneo di Calcio Memorial Claudio Sassi.

MUPC Days 3 & 4: Reds finish a creditable sixth

Tournament favourites Fluminense proved too strong for the United U15s in the quarter-finals, but the young Reds rallied to earn sixth place and praise from many.

Manchester United Premier Cup World Finals 2008 kick off tomorrow

The 2008 MUPC World Finals kick off at Carrington tomorrow, with 20 U15 teams from across the globe descending on Manchester for one of the most prestigious youth football tournaments in the world.

Pre-season schedule taking shape

The Champions Youth Cup may be off, but other pre-season fixtures for the Reserve and Academy sides are regularly being announced and we can now get a decent idea of how things are shaping up on that front.

~ Merseyside non-league outfit Burscough have announced a friendly against a United reserve side on Saturday July 12th (incidentally the same day the first team are due to play a friendly in Aberdeen, so a few reserve regulars may be otherwise engaged in Scotland).

~ A week later a United XI (essentially a reserve side) will make the short trip to Moss Lane to face Altrincham (Saturday July 19th).

~ Another Saturday, another United XI in action – this time at Blue Square Premier side Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium. United last played there two seasons ago, when Ronaldo played his first game back on English soil after the infamous incident with Wayne Rooney at the World Cup in Germany.

~ The only confirmed academy friendly so far is an August 12th trip to Gigg Lane for the annual clash with Bury.

I’d expect a couple more games to be announced over the coming weeks, and of course several reserve players will be involved in the first-team’s pre-season schedule, which includes a tour of South Africa and Nigeria as well as Old Trafford friendlies against Espanyol and Juventus and domestic trips to Aberdeen, Peterborough and Wembley for the Community Shield.