Manchester United officials visit East Bengal for possible friendly

To mark East Bengal's 100 years of existence, English Premier League giants Manchester United could be seen playing a pre-season friendly against the I-League heavyweights in July end or August first week next year.

Four Manchester United officials visited the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday to check on the infrastructure, and were left impressed. They will now talk to their management back in Manchester and get back on whether to take on the red and golds next year or not.

"They were very impressed with our facilities. They went to the Salt Lake Stadium too. Now they will take a call and let us know whether to play a friendly with us or not," the club's executive committee member Debabrata Sarkar told IANS.

Reacting to the development, I-League CEO Sunando Dhar told IANS: "If they come, nothing like it. East Bengal are one of the biggest clubs in India and they are celebrating their 100 years. A match against Manchester United would be just ideal."

East Bengal take on Real Kashmir in their I-League opener on December 4 at Kalyani in West Bengal.