The Premier League Summer Series is here! Four teams -Manchester United, West Ham United, Everton and AFC Bournemouth- will all face each other in a round robin of three exhibition friendlies in the United States. We’ll preview all the matches, starting with West Ham versus Man United at Metlife Stadium on Sunday. Lots of team news to cover here, including the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Andre Onana, Joshua Zirkzee, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez.
On the West Ham side, there are developments with George Earthy and Edson Alvarez to cover.
Premier League Summer Series FYIs
Manchester United vs West Ham United
Kickoff: July 26, 7pm, Metlife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Starting XI Predictions: United West Ham
Team News for Both Sides
Let’s start with Mbeumo. After an incredibly tedious transfer saga, one that took the concept of “protracted” to new extremes, the former Brentford striker is here.
Mbeumo became a United player in time to make the travel squad, and he’ll most likely make his debut in a United shirt this weekend.
The injured trio of Andre Onana, Joshua Zirkzee and Lisandro Martinez are all back fit and in the travel party. Don’t expect Lucha to feature in this one though, as he still needs to ease his way back after a long-term knee injury.
Maguire will join the rest of the team in the U.S. later on, as he missed the initial journey due to personal reasons.
Shifting gears to the Hammers, Edson Alvarez will play no part here, as he’s getting a much needed holiday, having helped lead Mexico to a Gold Cup tournament triumph over Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT.
Elsewhere George Earthy suffered an ankle injury while Crysencio Summerville remains sidelined.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter