Man United set for Nordic preseason tour

Manchester United will play pre-season friendlies in Finland, Norway and Sweden, the Premier League giants announced Thursday.

The four games are in addition to a match against bitter rivals Leeds -- their Old Trafford opponents in a league match on Monday -- in Dublin on August 12.

United face Wrexham, owned by the Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki on July 18. The Red Devils then travel to Norway to play Rosenborg at Trondheim's Lerkendal Stadium six days later.

The Swedish leg of their tour features a game against Atletico Madrid in the Snapdragon Cup at the Strawberry Arena on August 1 before they take on Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg the following week.

Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox told the club's website: "Following the announcement of our match against Leeds in Dublin, we're excited to confirm four more pre-season fixtures in the Nordics.

"We're delighted to be playing in some fantastic cities, against opponents who will provide a strong test for us.

"We have the best fans in the world, and this schedule gives us a great opportunity to connect with our supporters across Europe. We're really looking forward to getting out there and putting in the hard work ahead of a big season."

United have enjoyed an impressive resurgence since former Old Trafford favourite Michael Carrick took caretaker charge after Darren Fletcher was briefly at the helm following the end of Ruben Amorim's turbulent 14 months' reign in January. The Red Devils have risen to third in the Premier League which puts a return to the Champions League in sight.