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Times
a day ago
- Business
- Times
Inside Manchester United's chaotic post-season Asian tour
It's Wednesday night and it's party time in the national stadium of Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. A scratch team of players from the southeast Asian football federations, known as the Asean All-Stars, have done the unthinkable and beaten Manchester United in the first match of a two-game post-season tour for Ruben Amorim's beleaguered side. In the stadium's offices the prize for the victory, the Maybank Challenge Cup, (named after the sponsor of the friendly) is being handed around to staff for photographs. Just down the corridor in the interview area, the smiling match-winner from Myanmar, Maung Maung Lwin, is applauded as he does his umpteenth media engagement. Down in the bowels of the stadium, Lwin's team mate Sergio Agüero (no, not that one) is beset by anxiety rather than elation. The naturalised Malaysian, born in Argentina, is lurking around the dressing-room door, hoping that Alejandro Garnacho fulfils a promise he made during the game to give him his shirt. Instead, when United's wantaway winger departs, a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes, he simply walks past Agüero and others present. Luckily for Agüero, one of United's kitmen saves the day, scooping Garnacho's jersey off the floor and handing it to him. On the big red United bus, which has 'TOUR' — and the insignia of all their sponsors — emblazoned on it, there is plenty of gallows humour. 'Only after the season we've had, can we lose a post-season friendly and get booed off by our own fans,' the joke goes. In the immediate aftermath of the embarrassing defeat there were no quips from the players. For the second time in the space of a week they were made to watch their opponents lift a trophy and, to make matters worse, the presentation ceremony was delayed because the officials had gone back into the dressing room to get changed. The United players, who also went on a lap of honour, were angry that they had to wait in the 30C-plus heat, so they complained to the organisers, who ran into the dressing room and brought the officials back on to the pitch. By that point on Wednesday night, Harry Maguire, André Onana and Diogo Dalot were on a private jet to India, having left the stadium at half-time. The three players, who had played in the opening half against the Asean All-Stars, had been chosen to appear at a question-and-answer session in Mumbai the following day. When United announced they were undertaking a post-match tour to Malaysia and Hong Kong, they did not want to alienate their strong Indian following. United have millions of Indian followers but they have never played a match there, so Onana, Dalot and Maguire skipped the second half of the first friendly and the entirety of the final match against Hong Kong, which United won on Friday night, to take part in the Q&A session in Mumbai. They arrived back in Manchester on Friday, which made them the envy of their team-mates, who are due to arrive home 24 hours later. United insist their players understand why they had to come on this trip — the £8million raised will, to a certain extent, soften the £10million penalty the club will pay to Adidas for failing to qualify for the Champions League for a second successive season. Privately, however, three sources have used the same phrase to describe the feelings of most of the squad at being dragged to the Far East during a time when they could have been on holiday with their families. 'They're fuming,' they said. Players attended several events organised by some of United's biggest sponsors, including Adidas, Tezos, Apollo, Maybank and Snapdragon, during this week-long, 14,000-mile round trip. One downbeat peripheral player advised a team-mate to give short answers in a Q&A session in Kuala Lumpur so that the appearance ended as quickly as possible. Ashley Westwood, the Hong Kong head coach, summed up the situation perfectly when he said that the United players needed these fixtures 'like a hole in the head' but conceded that money talks. 'This trip is all about revenues, it has become a thing,' Westwood said the day before United beat Hong Kong 3-1 on a sodden pitch. That said, the tour has been enjoyable for the players and staff in other senses. Given that this is essentially a post-season wind-down, the atmosphere in and around the W Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, where they stayed three nights, and the W Hotel in Hong Kong, which hosted them for one evening, has been relaxed and less disciplined than it would be on a pre-season tour. That became clear on the Air Malaysia aircraft that carried the players, staff and executives from Manchester to Kuala Lumpur last Sunday evening, shortly after United had defeated Aston Villa 2-0 in the final match of a wretched Premier League season. In the business and first-class seats saved for the players, music was played and some squad members and staff had a few drinks. The players have not been subjected to a curfew on this trip. Joshua Zirkzee walked over the road from the team hotel in Kuala Lumpur to a Thai restaurant one night after being unimpressed by the room-service options. Amad Diallo and Garnacho hired some scooters and whizzed around the city. A few players went out to a nightclub after they arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Monday night, accompanied by security staff. One popular member of staff wowed those present with his left-field dancing. Some players had a drink in the hotel bar after the loss to Asean All-Stars. Staff joined in too. Bruno Fernandes told them that he would pay for their drinks all night and he did. In the corner of the bar stood a gold vending machine that sells 187ml bottles of champagne for £40 a pop. If you buy five bottles, your sixth is free. Fernandes's future has been a hot topic among the travelling party. Some are convinced he will leave, others refuse to believe it. They all agree unanimously that United need to do everything they can to keep the 30-year-old captain. They know he is their best player and his leadership skills are valuable, particularly because morale is so low now after finishing 15th in the Premier League and failing to qualify for the Champions League. Fernandes has been seen giving guidance and help to the younger members of the 32-man party that United brought to the Far East. 'Are you a proper United fan then?' the United employee in a white Adidas polo shirt said to two men in United shirts as he walked them down the red carpet at the stadium in Kuala Lumpur (which was stuck to the floor by red electrical tape) last Wednesday in the VVIP area. Some of the 72,5000 fans present were guests of wealthy businesses trying to impress clients or reward employees, but some of them were genuine fans, including Daniel, an engineering student who paid £262 for his VVIP ticket, which involved a slap-up buffet dinner in a roped-off area of the stadium. 'We had [Edwin] van der Sar, [Patrice] Evra, Rio [Ferdinand], [Nemanja] Vidic, the Brazilian twins [Rafael and Fabio da Silva] …' the 25-year-old says, reciting the squad that United had when he started supporting them in 2008, as if to prove his credentials. United's squad is much worse these days but there was no way that would put him off coming to the match. 'It doesn't matter,' he said. 'It's about loyalty. The appeal of the Theatre of Dreams is not just about the 'Theatre' — it's about the actors, who are the players, and the producer, the coach.' Although there are 9,000 empty seats in Kuala Lumpur, selling north of 75,000 tickets (a small section of which were available for £8 and £16), is a sign that support for United remains strong. One man in the crowd is Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian prime minister. As a United fan, he is unhappy with the result, unlike many of the cabinet members in attendance, who are Liverpool supporters. That United retain a strong following in Asia is also evident, judging by the fact that more than 300 fans turned up to greet them at the team hotel, even though it had not been advertised that the players were staying there. 'This match is the biggest sporting event in Kuala Lumpur in 2025,' Christopher Raj, the chief executive of ShekhinahPR, a local firm contracted to publicise the All-Stars match, said. 'We had 600 media applications for the match but we only had space for 250. 'Today we have more than 100 media waiting for the team to turn up. They've been here for a long time.' When the squad eventually arrived, security guards had to hold the fans and media back behind a cordon on either side of the bus. Luke Shaw signed a few shirts for local media inside the hotel lobby — about 50 yards away from the fans — but most of the players went straight through reception and up to their rooms, as instructed by security staff, who are always aware of a potential crush due to the excitement of the crowd at these greetings. To avoid such an issue, the coach carrying the team to their hotel in Shanghai on their 2016 pre-season tour dropped the players off at the back entrance of the hotel, much to the annoyance of hundreds of people who were waiting for them in reception. Isuandar, a 31-year-old engineer from Kuala Lumpur, was happy to get a glimpse of his hero, Fernandes, from about 50 yards away. 'I have been here waiting for hours,' he said. 'Manchester is the biggest team in Malaysia.' TJ, who has travelled over from the UK, was less impressed. 'They can't come over and see a few kids,' he shouted as his young son beside him cried. 'It's disgusting.' When on pre-season tour, United sometimes organise well-attended public training sessions for their fans, but they chose not to on this occasion. It was probably for the best given the standard of football on show during the hour-long session in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt, both returning from injury, did some running and stretches before the rest of the squad split into two units for the rondos. After that, Amorim directed a pretty lacklustre training drill that began with Tom Heaton launching the ball to the halfway line, where ten outfield players would each touch the ball before someone tried to shoot. Even though they were playing against mannequins, some of the passing — and in particular the finishing from Chido Obi — was poor. The organisers had bought the 7ft-high yellow mannequins especially for United's training session in an effort to impress Amorim, the head coach, and his staff but some were not filled with enough water and they collapsed in a heap, prompting jokes from the sidelines about a comparison between the men in yellow and United's defence in their Europa League final defeat by Tottenham Hotspur the previous Wednesday. Obi looked far more polished by the time he and United arrived in Hong Kong, where they were met by a deluge that made the pitch for their final friendly difficult to play on. The downpour was so great that the roof started leaking in the press room — a problem teams visiting Old Trafford will be familiar with. Obi, 17, scored twice as United came from behind to win 3-1 in what was Jonny Evans's last game at the club. Before heading to the airport, Fernandes and Garnacho — now without sunglasses –— signed autographs and posed for selfies with fans outside the dressing room.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
A touch of Liverpool in Man Utd's downfall at Bukit Jalil
KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian, who is an avowed Liverpool fan, was given the task of stopping the Reds' arch rivals, Manchester United, at Bukit Jalil on Wednesday. Reserve goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli played in the last 10 minutes and tasked with protecting the Asean X1's 1-0 lead over the Red Devils. This he did, and Haziq found himself part of the Asean side that achieved a famous win over the 20-time English champions in the Maybank Challenge Cup. After the match, when interviewed by the host broadcaster, Haziq said: "I don't idolise any United players, because I'm Liverpool." And he cheekily said he had a hand in Man Utd finishing the season without a trophy, not even the Maybank Challenge Cup, which was supposedly easier to win than any of the trophies in England. "It was a short time together with the team, I managed to adapt quickly. But honestly, as a goalkeeper, it's stressful. If United had scored, I'd be remembered for all the wrong reasons. "So I just focused fully, for that 10 minutes of madness," he said. After his Man Utd experience, Haziq could be called into action against Vietnam in a crucial Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on June 10 at the very venue where he denied the Red Devils.
Sinar Daily
2 days ago
- Sport
- Sinar Daily
Asean All-Stars coach praises players' great teamwork in 1-0 upset against Man United
Sang Sik said what made the result even more remarkable was that the players had only met 48 hours earlier prior to the match against Ruben Amorim's side. 29 May 2025 08:51am Manchester United FC players react after losing to the Asean All-Stars in the 2025 Maybank Malaysia Challenge Cup match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. - Bernama photo KUALA LUMPUR - Asean All-Stars head coach Kim Sang Sik praised his players' great teamwork and attributed it to his side's stunning 1-0 victory over English football giants, Manchester United in the Maybank Challenge Cup at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, yesterday. Sang Sik said what made the result even more remarkable was that the players had only met 48 hours earlier prior to the match against Ruben Amorim's side. Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho reacts after losing to the Asean All-Stars in the 2025 Maybank Malaysia Challenge Cup match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. - Bernama photo "(But it was) as if they had been teammates for two decades. It was a great match and fantastic performance from the team. "We were only trained for two days but they played like they were together for 20 years. The team played with real good organisation and we are very happy with the victory,' he told a post-match press conference here yesterday. Sang Sik also praised the performance of two Malaysian players namely team captain Sergio Aguero and Declan Lambert, who made a strong impression on the pitch. The Vietnam national team head coach noted that he would closely analyse both players ahead of the upcoming third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, where his team is set to face Malaysia on June 10 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Asean All-Star hero Maung Maung, whose 71st minute goal ensured his team won yesterday, described his goal against the 13-time English Premier League champions as a dream that came true. "This moment is very rare for me, and I would like to dedicate my goal to the Southeast Asia region,' he said. Manchester United will continue their post-season tour with a game against the Hong Kong national team on May 30 at Hong Kong Stadium. - BERNAMA More Like This
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Amorim will stick to his philosophy despite shameful loss
Below par: Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund (centre) dribbling past Asean All-Stars' Mo Kan during the Maybank Challenge Cup match. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Ruben Amorim and Co may have faced boos from the stands at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, but the Manchester United manager is sticking to his footballing philosophy — even after his side's 1-0 defeat to the spirited Asean All-Stars on Wednesday. The Portuguese tactician, who took over the Red Devils on Nov 1, 2024, admitted his side lacked sharpness and urgency in the friendly encounter, but insisted that he would continue trusting the playing principles that got him this far in his career. 'We should perform better. We were slow, and we don't have it in us yet to win every exercise in training or every game,' said Amorim. Star attraction: Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes controlling the ball. — Bernama 'But most importantly, we didn't have any injuries, and we move forward.' Amorim was clear that the defeat, while frustrating, would not derail his vision for the team ahead of the new Premier League season. 'The way I play is the same as other coaches. You have an idea, you stick with it. I am just a coach that reached this level because of certain things. Of course we need to improve the results, but I am confident of doing it,' he said. Fans in Kuala Lumpur, including many donning the famous red jersey, voiced their discontent as United struggled to break down an All-Stars team that had only trained together for two days. Amorim acknowledged the fans' passion and their right to demand more. 'I feel guilty when it comes to the performance of the team. The boos from the fans – we need it. They were always there, even when we lost. If they see it's not working, they'll tell us.' United's lack of goals was another concern highlighted by Amorim especially the poor form of Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund, who has been ridiculed by many fans for his poor movement and finishing as a striker. 'We assess that. We prepare for the first game of the Premier League. Sometimes, you can't overthink. You go for the holidays, reset, and the environment in the training ground can build confidence.' Despite the frustration, Amorim was gracious in defeat and hinted at internal changes ahead. 'There will be changes. You have to wait for next season. We will see. But the hunger to win every game - that's what I want to bring back to United.' Meanwhile, United captain and midfielder Bruno Fernandes said he expected the All-Stars to produce a top performance, but at the end of the day, he knew the magnitude of his club globally. 'We expected a hard game against them. We know there are lots of talents here in Asia. We came for the fans to see us and also for the young boys to experience this,' said the Portuguese international. 'It was nice to be playing in front of these fans and feel the love from them.'
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Putting Asean on summit
Composed show: Asean All-Stars' Nguyen Hai Long (second from right) trying to dribble the ball past three Manchester United players during the Maybank Challenge Cup match. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star KUALA LUMPUR: For Asean All-Stars coach Kim Sang-sik, it was a night of immense pride and satisfaction as his hastily assembled side pulled off a famous win against one of the biggest clubs in the world. The Asean All-Stars defeated English giants Manchester United 1-0 to win the Maybank Challenge Cup at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday. Myanmar captain and winger Maung Maung Lwin was the hero, scoring in the 70th minute. 'To play against one of the best clubs in the world - it was a great match, a great performance,' said the South Korean, who coaches the Vietnam national team. 'We only trained for two days, but they played together like they knew each other for 20 years. It was organised and polished. 'We are grateful for this opportunity.' Sang-sik praised his players' ability to rise to the occasion despite the odds, especially in the face of physical challenges and humid conditions. He singled out Vietnamese midfielder Nguyen Hai Long, who only joined the squad a day before the match but put in a composed display. 'Hai Long played well. He's done well for Vietnam, and I hope Amorim watched him and is interested in the player,' joked Sang-sik. The game also saw Malaysian playmaker Sergio Aguero –brought in as a captain – lead the All-Stars with composure, adding a touch of experience and flair in midfield. 'To beat Manchester United is a special moment for me and a meaningful one. I can spend a good time with the Asean All-Stars and celebrate together as a team,' said Sang-sik. 'Plus I have followed Manchester for a long time especially when Park Ji-sung was there and also the great presence of Sir Alex Ferguson.' He also turned his attention to the upcoming challenge against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup third-round qualifiers at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on June 10, promising a stronger performance. 'Next month, there'll be a sea of yellow. Our team will prepare well against Malaysia and want to be ready for this game.' With belief, spirit, and a dose of organisation, the Asean All-Stars gave Ruben Amorim and United plenty to ponder and sent a signal that South-East Asian football is ready to test itself more regularly on the global stage.
