Dimitar Berbatov set for Old Trafford return as Man United decision made

Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov will be making a return to Old Trafford this September for the club's Legends match against Celtic.

The star, who scored 56 goals in 149 appearances for Man United in between 2008 and 2012, is the latest name to be announced for Bryan Robson's Man United squad in the clash which'll raising money for the Manchester United Foundation after Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt were announced last week.

Berbatov has already played in one of United's Legends matches, their most recent in 2022 against Liverpool where he scored the only goal in their 3-1 defeat. Berbatov will be backing himself to score again though, having netted twice in his first Champions League fixture at Old Trafford in a 3-0 win back in 2008.

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The Bulgarian will also have a compatriot on the pitch with him in the form of Stiliyan Petrov, who will be playing for the Celtic side, managed by Paul Lambert, with Berbatov admitting he can't wait to get started.

He told Man United's official website: "It’s going to be great, because I’m seeing old team-mates from United, then I see my team-mates from the national team as well and players that I’ve played against. Like with Stan, we played together in the national team, but then we are playing against each other in the Premier League.

"So it’s always good to be back with the boys, have some banter, play some football, enjoy it and in the process just raise money for a good cause. I know what it means, because I have my own foundation for 16 years, supporting talented kids in Bulgaria and trying to show them the right way, the right way to success, hopefully.

"With United, it’s obviously a much bigger scale, a much bigger name, and it's good that we former players can have the chance to work and support the Foundation, raising money for all the different things that the Foundation is doing and just enjoying doing it while we play football."

The Reds' XI will face off against a Celtic XI managed by Paul Lambert at Old Trafford on Saturday 7 September, with more names to be announced in the run-up to the event.

The two clubs have shared a close relationship for a number of decades, despite only having encountered each other competitively four times with all four matches coming in the Champions League - United winning two, Celtic winning one and their last meeting being a 1-1 draw in 2008.

Despite that, many stars that have played for both clubs have chosen them for their testimonial match, including Roy Keane and Bryan McClair while Ryan Giggs and Robson chose them without any direct affiliation to the club.

Ahead of the match in a few months' time, Robson, who will be assisted by United treble-winning striker Andy Cole, highlighted his optimism for the event, claiming: "We’re really excited for this latest match and are hoping to see the United and Celtic fans out in force. They will be in for a great afternoon at Old Trafford, whilst also helping to support the Foundation and its amazing work.

"Every time I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of these games the competitive edge has always been there. The players might have retired, but they all still want to win and we’ve had some great games down the years. I’m delighted to be managing the team once again."

Supporters can buy tickets to the event here.