United to face Solskjaer’s hometown team as part of pre-season build-up

Manchester United will travel to Norway for a pre-season friendly against manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s hometown team Kristiansund on July 30.

United were assured of a Europa League group stage place – so avoiding the headache of the qualifying phase which would start towards the end of July – following Manchester City’s FA Cup final win over Watford last weekend.

It has now been announced that Solskjaer’s side will take on Kristiansund at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo.

United’s newly-promoted women’s side are also set to travel to the Norwegian capital, where they will face Valerenga at the Intility Arena the following day.

“This match will be really important in terms of our preparation for the new season,” Solskjaer said.

“We want to hit the ground running and give ourselves a chance to challenge once the new campaign starts and the best way to do that is with some momentum behind you.”

United’s pre-season is scheduled to get underway in Western Australia when they take on Perth Glory on July 13 at the Optus Stadium before a clash against old rivals Leeds four days later.

They then travel to Singapore and Shanghai for fixtures against Inter Milan and Tottenham respectively on July 20 and 25.

After their brief trip to Solskjaer’s homeland, United are due to face AC Milan at Wales’ Principality Stadium on August 3.