ManU is "considering a lucrative return to Asia" for its preseason tour next summer, a move that "would be welcomed by leading club sponsors eager to boost their profile in the region," according to James Ducker of the LONDON TIMES. ManU Manager Louis van Gaal was "granted his wish for a scaled-back tour of the United States this month" after he complained publicly "about the club’s hectic travel schedule on last summer's visit." The club was "able to accommodate Van Gaal's requests quite easily" since its commercial responsibilities were "cut drastically" because of the club's new $1.2B kit deal with adidas not starting until Saturday. ManU "had 71 public engagements this summer compared with 184 in the US 12 months ago and could expect a similarly high figure in Asia." Chevrolet, whose seven-year shirt sponsorship deal with ManU is worth about $558M, and Aon, which sponsors the training kit and team HQ for $35.1M annually through '21, are "keen to raise their profile in Asia." When Chevrolet was launched as ManU's "official automotive partner at the Shanghai car show" in '12, the event "generated one billion page impressions in a fortnight -- more than the company got for funding a costly marketing campaign at the Super Bowl." It underlined to Chevrolet the "power of United's brand in the Asian market" (LONDON TIMES, 7/30). In London, Ian Ladyman reported Van Gaal will "still be a key part of the decision making process, of course," with the ManU board keen to "ensure that the needs of his players remain at the forefront of their thoughts." It is "unlikely, however," that the club will be able to "fly beneath the radar" as it has in the U.S. With Van Gaal upset at the "hectic schedule he inherited when he arrived last summer," this trip has seen ManU spend the majority of its time at a training camp in San Jose. It has "worked perfectly for the players but promoters were disappointed," for example, that ManU chose not to "go anywhere near the venue for the Barcelona game in Santa Clara until the day of the game itself," choosing to train and hold a press conference down the road at the Avaya Stadium in San Jose (DAILY MAIL, 7/30). In London, Mark Ogden reported Van Gaal has overseen arrangements for training camps, hotel bases and opponents and, although the tour organizers have been "frustrated" by the team's schedule, "he insists the trip has been a success." He said, "We have changed a lot of things in relation to this tour. The last tour, we were on the other coast with more heat and humidity and that was a negative" (TELEGRAPH, 7/29).
