Louis van Gaal Exit Talk Fuelled by Manchester United's China Tour Video

Louis van Gaal's conspicuous absence from Manchester United's promotional video for their pre-season tour of China has further fuelled rumours that the Dutchman will not be Red Devils manager for much longer.

Per the Daily Mail's Chris Wheeler, Van Gaal was heavily featured in a similar video ahead of 2015's tour of the USA, but he cannot be seen in the 48-second clip posted on the United website upon the announcement that the club would face pre-season matches against Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund in the Far East:

Speculation surrounding Van Gaal's future has been rife for some time now after United's poor 2015-16 campaign, and it was even reported recently that there is a pre-contract agreement in place for Jose Mourinho to succeed him, per Spanish outlet El Pais (via Ed Aarons in the Guardian).

United are struggling to finish the Premier League season in the top four—they are one point back from fourth-placed City in sixth—and Van Gaal's position will become almost untenable if the club fail to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones believes that is a genuine possibility despite the recent derby win away at City:

United's trip to China for the International Champions Cup will see them take on Dortmund at the Shanghai Stadium on July 22, and City at Beijing National Stadium three days later.

Players past and present feature in the promotional video—including captain Wayne Rooney, now-assistant manager Ryan Giggs, Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona and Juan Mata—but there is no place for the current manager.

For Joe.co.uk editor Matthew Stanger, it is something of a giveaway:

Rob Dawson in the Manchester Evening News suggested Van Gaal's absence could mean "absolutely nothing," but admitted his omission is "odd," especially after last year's promotional video included him "prominently—slow motion turning, dramatic smoke effects, the works."

Certainly it would be a strange decision not to have the manager included if he is intended to be the man in charge when the tour comes around.

But the doubts over Van Gaal's future continue to increase, and with good reason.

A top-four finish is the bare minimum expected of United, and Van Gaal's side are struggling to even achieve that.

When added to a group-stage Champions League exit and a round-of-16 UEFA Europa League exit at the hands of archrivals Liverpool, it is something of a surprise that he has remained in charge this long despite his contract extending into 2017.