Strap yourself in for August!
We're already into August and the start of the new Premier League season is just over a week away.
It promises to be another exciting ride, with the Reds always the subject of so much focus and scrutiny. Life is never dull following the club. Tour 2018, presented by Aon, has finished, with one defeat in five games and a win over European champions Real Madrid for a squad deprived of a number of key individuals. Hence, hysterical headlines and over-reaction in some quarters, particularly when results matter less in pre-season anyway, are best ignored.
Now, Jose Mourinho is starting to welcome some of his missing stars back into the fold and the countdown to the new campaign begins in earnest. It's going to be fascinating in August alone, so we pulled together some key dates for the diary. Fasten your seatbelts!
Sunday 5th:
Bayern Munich v United (19:15 BST kick-off)
A final pre-season friendly for the Reds, and it's a big one against the Bundesliga champions. The match is being screened live by MUTV in the UK and Ireland and will give the boss a chance to reintroduce some of his World Cup stars into the side. Concrete clues will start to emerge about his preferred formation and personnel.
Thursday 9th:
Transfer deadline day
The window closes for all English clubs at 17:00 BST, the day before the action begins at Old Trafford, after the clubs voted to implement the change. It means a late scramble for players is almost certain to unfold across the Premier League as everybody faces a race against time. Once the deadline passes, teams can only make new signings in January.
Friday 10th:
United v Leicester City (20:00 BST kick-off)
The Premier League is back as United take on 2015/16 champions Leicester City in front of a packed audience at Old Trafford. Midfield recruit Fred could be in line for a competitive debut as the Reds strive to go straight to the top of the table heading into the weekend! It's a busy day at all levels of the club, with the Under-18s and Under-23s also getting their campaigns under way, against Derby County and Fulham respectively.
Sunday 19th:
Liverpool Women v United Women (14:00 BST kick-off)
A historic first match for the new women's team as Casey Stoney's side take on Liverpool at Tranmere Rovers' Prenton Park. The game is the first round of the Continental Tyres League Cup.
Sunday 19th:
Brighton v United (16:00 BST kick-off)
The opening away fixture of the campaign is a trip to the Amex Stadium as the Reds look to avenge the 1-0 defeat on the south coast in May towards the end of last term. Seagulls boss Chris Hughton has strengthened his squad with a number of new signings, including highly-rated Iran international Alireza Jahanbakhsh from AZ Alkmaar.
Monday 27th:
United v Tottenham (20:00 BST kick-off)
There is a huge clash with Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs at Old Trafford, following the Londoners' third-placed finish in 2017/18, four points adrift of Jose's men. We won the corresponding fixture 1-0 last season, thanks to a goal from substitute Anthony Martial, and a similar result would be much welcome again.
Wednesday 29th:
Carabao Cup draw
The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup is expected to be made around this date as the second-round ties are being played in midweek. All of the top-flight clubs in the Champions League and Europa League have a bye to this stage of the competition.
Thursday 30th:
Champions League group-stage draw
Always a big moment as the cream of Europe are allocated their groups for the most prestigious competition on the continent. United are set to be in pot two and could come up against another of the big guns when all is revealed during the ceremony at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The UEFA Youth League for Nicky Butt's Under-19s will mirror the four-team pool.
Friday 31st:
United U23s v Stoke U23s (19:00 BST)
A chance for fans to see Ricky Sbragia's side in Premier League 2 action at Old Trafford comes around early in 2018/19. Tahith Chong has an excellent record at the Theatre of Dreams and he could be one of those looking to put his tour experience to good use with another impressive performance at this level.
European transfer deadline
The final day of the transfer window in Spain, France and Germany with those clubs able to raid their English counterparts up until this point. Italy's window will have shut on 18 August. Lower division clubs are still able to recruit players on loan until this date, which may mean more temporary departures for United youngsters.