Manchester United, Ed Woodward Announce 2016 Pre-Season Tour of China

Manchester United have announced they will play two matches in China during the summer as part of their pre-season tour ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.  

A statement on United's website on Tuesday stated the club have over 107 million followers in the Far East country, and it also relayed comments from executive vice chairman Ed Woodward:

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Manchester United has strong historical links with China and we are very proud of our relationship and of our fans throughout the country.

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.

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United's opponents for their China tour have yet to be announced, but the last club they met in the country was Kitchee SC in July 2013 in a match the Red Devils won 5-2.

The Chinese Super League has made some significant waves in world football recently, as several of their clubs have made big-money moves in the transfer market.

Earlier this year, Jiangsu Suning paid £25 million and £38 million for Chelsea's Ramires and Shakhtar Donetsk's Alex Teixeira, respectively, while perennial champions Guangzhou Evergrande splurged £31.8 million on Atletico Madrid's Jackson Martinez.

It is difficult to know what the managerial situation will be at United come their trip to China this summer, and current boss Louis van Gaal was conspicuously absent from the announcement of their tour, per the Associated Press' Rob Harris:

The Dutchman is under pressure in his job with United, having been knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Liverpool while struggling for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho is seen as the front-runner to succeed Van Gaal should he be sacked, per Spanish outlet El Pais (via MailOnline).

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Because of the summer's Euro 2016 tournament in France, it was reported that United were considering a shorter pre-season tour than in previous years, per the Guardian's Jamie Jackson.

The tour of China will last eight days, per United's statement.

The last two summers have seen United visit North America before the start of the new Premier League season.