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Manchester United to tour China this summer

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

Getty Images

Manchester United have announced they will be touring China this summer.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]

The Red Devils announced the news on Tuesday, and they claim to have “over 107 million followers in China, making it the country with more Manchester United fans than any other in the world.”

United last toured China in 2013 and have played 12 games there over nine different trips since 1975.

Speaking to the club website, executive vice chairman Ed Woodward is delighted to be heading back to the Far East.

“Manchester United has strong historical links with China and we are very proud of our relationship and of our fans throughout the country,” Woodward said. “A total of almost 500,000 supporters have attended previous games during our visits to China and we have always enjoyed exceptional support in the country, so naturally it is something that everybody is very much looking forward to this summer.”

The tour to China will last eight days and it remains to be seen if United will take place in the International Champions Cup while in China, or if they will make their way to the United States of America on their way back to Manchester to compete in the ICC.

“The eight-day tour forms part of the club’s preparations for the 2016-17 Premier League campaign, with further details regarding the Tour, including fixture dates, opposition teams, venues and ticket details to be announced in the coming days,” United added.

Their crosstown rivals Manchester City is already slated to play in the ICC in China, as the preseason tournament takes place in North America, Australia and China this summer. It seems a little unlikely both Manchester clubs will be competing in China against each other in the ICC, but who knows?

United has played in the ICC tournament in each of the past two preseasons, but we already know that Louis van Gaal isn’t a fan of plenty of traveling over the offseason.

He reacted poorly to long flight times in-between friendlies in the summer of 2014 when he initially took over at United but it remains to be seen if he will still be in charge of them in the summer despite having a contract through the end of the 2016-17 season.

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