Antonio Valencia announces return to Old Trafford after declaring for Manchester United

Antonio Valencia will return to Old Trafford for a charity match between Manchester United legends and Celtic in September.

The former United midfielder and defender made over 300 appearances for the Reds between 2009 and 2019. Valencia won numerous trophies at the club, including two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup and a Europa League. He retired in 2021 after a short spell at Mexican club Queretaro.

And United have confirmed that Valencia will feature alongside fellow club legends Dimitar Berbatov, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, with Bryan Robson as manager and Andy Cole as assistant. The Red Devils XI will face a Celtic XI managed by Paul Lambert on Saturday 7th September.

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When asked about his thoughts on playing at Old Trafford again, Valencia could not hide his excitement after previously playing a Legends match against Liverpool at Anfield in 2022.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he told United’s official website. “Every time I get the invitation, I make sure I can be there. It will be fun to see so many friends, the stadium and my former teammates.

“I’m really looking forward to it. It was really great last time, an incredible game against a historic rival of ours and just to be able to help the Foundation.

“They’re the reason I love coming to Manchester to support this, of course, because it’s a really hard job to do. What they do for young people in the Manchester area and elsewhere, I know how much work goes into it. .”

“I was an ambassador for UNICEF while I was in Manchester and I bought my own foundation here in Ecuador. I try to help as many children as possible. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Facing Celtic, he added: “I have a very good memory of the Scots and how nice they are. Not just with my team-mates, not just at United but with Wigan. And obviously especially the boss – Sir Alex Ferguson. I really expect it to be a lot of fun.”