Sponsor Pressure Could Bring Manchester United To Australia

Reports in the U.K. this week suggested ManU's major sponsors such as Chevrolet and Aon would like Louis Van Gaal's team "to play more pre-season matches in Asia next year," according to Michael Lynch of THE AGE. Liverpool pulled 96,000-plus to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Real Madrid attracted more than 99,000 when it saw off Man City. Could ManU bring even more? A tournament in Australia against serious opposition in the Int'l Champions Cup "would be a perfect stepping stone." It would offer "serious preparation before a shirt-selling, brand-building sweep through China and other South East Asian countries on the way home before the kick off of the following Premiership campaign." ManU "would be a huge attraction for organisers hoping to cement Melbourne's place in the ICC hierarchy" (THE AGE, 8/2).