Man United announce pre-season tour to America despite Louis van Gaal's reservations

United will fly out to the US for the second year in a row in a bid to defend the International Champions Cup.

Also taking part will be Chelsea, Barcelona, Pari St Germain, Porto, Fiorentina plus three MLS clubs, New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes and Mexican outfit Club America.

Last year United beat Roma, Inter Milan, Real Madrid in their group and Liverpool in the final, after beating Galaxy in a warm-up game.

United’s game against Real Madrid in Ann Arbor last July set an all-time high for the largest ever crowd at a football game in the US with a crowd of 109,318 watching the team play at the the University of Michigan ‘Big House’ stadium. 

But manager Louis van Gaal was unhappy at the fixture schedule of a five-game pre-season tour that saw United play in Los Angeles, Denver, Washington, Michigan and Miami in the space of 17 days.

Fixtures and venues for this summer will be confirmed in the coming weeks but it is understood United could be based in Seattle and will play all their games on the Pacific coast to avoid a repeat of last summer’s gruelling travel schedule and keep Van Gaal happy.

Manchester United group managing director, Richard Arnold, said: “The club is delighted to be returning to the United States for Tour 2015, presented by Aon.

"Manchester United made history in its last visit to the United States by breaking the country’s soccer attendance record and the huge level of support for the club was evident in every city we visited.

“This summer’s tour is the latest in a long line of visits to the US; a tradition that began some 65 years ago under the guidance of the great Sir Matt Busby.

"This tour will not only provide the team with first-rate preparation for the season ahead, it will also allow many of United’s eight million US followers to get closer to the club they love.”