Manchester United kicked off their pre-season campaign with a low-key visit to Helsinki, Finland, drawing a modest crowd of 20,000 at the Olympic Stadium. The atmosphere was notably subdued, with over 16,000 empty seats, as the team faced a friendly match that lacked intensity and entertainment.
Arrival in Helsinki Draws Little Fanfare
Upon arrival at Hotel Kamp on Pohjoisesplanadi, only a handful of fans in Manchester United shirts were present, contrasting sharply with the mob scenes typical of Asian tours. An American family observed, with the father noting United as "one of the biggest soccer teams in the world," but the boy remained unimpressed. At 8pm on a Friday, diners barely interrupted their cocktails and reindeer steaks to watch the team check in.
Harry Maguire was the first off the bus, stopping for a selfie with a few fans. The subsequent stream of young players drew little reaction. "They all look so young," remarked one tourist. United opted to align with Finnish time despite a two-hour time difference, flying in from Carrington for a 26-hour stay.
Meet-and-Greet and Fan Events
Players held a meet-and-greet at the hotel on Friday night and went for a walk Saturday morning ahead of the 6pm kick-off. Fan events from Thursday to Saturday were reasonably attended but lacked the fervour seen in Norway, where United enjoys huge support. This was United's first visit to Finland since 1981, but the 45-year absence did not whip supporters into a frenzy.
Promoters only broke even on the event, with 20,000 attendees. Nearby, HJK faced VPS in Finland's top division at 3pm, and some fans attended both games. The atmosphere was subdued despite attempts by a small group to start chants. One local fan made a pitch dash at full-time to get a selfie with Toby Collyer. The biggest cheers were for Maguire, a turnaround from being booed in pre-season in Melbourne and Dublin.
Match Observations
Wrexham, United's opponents, were ahead in pre-season preparation, having trained longer and played Wisla Krakow in Poland the previous week. They displayed more intensity and fluency. The highlight for United fans was a first sighting of Andrey Santos, the £50 million midfielder, who showed promise in 45 minutes. He exited with Leny Yoro and Bryan Mbeumo to meet VIP guests from Adidas.
United headed straight to the airport post-match, returning to Carrington. On Thursday, they travel to Trondheim for a clash with Rosenborg.
