We are pleased to confirm our first two pre-season fixtures of the summer, with the club set to face Spanish giants Athletic Bilbao in Austria and German outfit Hoffenheim in Norway.

As part of a week-long training camp in Austria between July 18-24, United will meet La Liga club Bilbao on Tuesday July 21 at a venue and kick-off time to be confirmed.

The squad will then head to Norway to take on Bundesliga side Hoffenheim on Saturday July 25 (kick-off time TBA). The friendly will take place at the home of Lillestrom SK, where head coach Uwe Rosler spent time as both a player and a manager.

The club would like to thank former United defender Gunnar Halle for his role in facilitating the Hoffenheim friendly in Norway.

Rosler said: “I started last week so my first days at work were spent assessing certain things and what was in place for pre-season.

“We decided it was in the best interests of our football club, and for the quality of teams that we can meet, to go to Austria where we will find very good conditions to train.

“The pitch is walking distance from the hotel and the quality of opposition we will play against was massively important for me.

“I don’t like to go into the heat – I like to go into a moderate climate, very similar to the UK where you can really put a shift in, in terms of laying the foundations for the season.

“Pre-season is very important, but it’s not just the first month – we’re laying the foundations for the next 10 months.

“Gunnar Halle helped us get another top opposition in Hoffenheim. They are one of the most exciting teams with the way they play in the Bundesliga.

“It will be a good trip against two top teams. I didn’t want another game because I think we have to put a lot of things on the training pitch.

“I will spend a lot of time with the players on and off the training pitch to lay the foundations technically and tactically. Not having too many games allows us to do a lot of groundwork for what is needed in the season.”

Kick-off times will be released on www.leedsunited.com in due course, as will further pre-season arrangements.