Blog: Latest from Munich
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20:02 – A few years ago I went on holiday and arranged to be picked up at the airport and transferred to my hotel. When I walked out of the arrivals gate a taxi driver was holding a sign with my name on it. Something similar happened today at Hangzhou airport when I arrived with United. I guess somebody in China is reading the blog!
Odd experience #2 of the day occurred at the training ground this evening. I asked a member of staff for a power point so I could charge my laptop. “Yes, no problem, Sir,” came the response. "Come this way." I was then led down the tunnel and into the dressing room, where the lady produced five footballs and asked me to sign them. "No, no. I’m not a player, I’m just a journalist," I told her. But she wasn’t having any of it: “You are Manchester United. Please sign.” I kept trying to refuse but in the end was left with no option but to sign my name across five shiny new footballs. Eventually I got my power point, but it just goes to show how highly the club – and anyone associated with it – is regarded in the Far East.
17:50 – The players are now out training at tomorrow night's venue - the Yellow Dragon Stadium, one of the most unique stadiums I've ever seen.
15:15 – Nike have created a mini Old Trafford in Hangzhou for a local teenagers' indoor football session... and Wayne Rooney, Darren Fletcher and Tomasz Kuszczak are on hand to make it even more authentic! Tomasz and Fletch each took charge of a five-a-side team, with the latter triumphing 3-0. Is there something in the water in Scotland that produces good managers?
14:00 – The press conference was short and sweet, but Sir Alex talked about how pleased he is with Michael Owenso far. The boss backed his striker to get 15 goals this season – a tally that many of you, dear readers, seem to agree with in the online poll we opened this week.
13:10 – We've just arrived at our hotel in Hangzhou, China to an incredible reception from the local fans. There must have been about 2,000 people here to see us. Wayne Rooney says it was "amazing" and easily the biggest welcome yet on the Asia Tour. No time to take it all in though, or even check in to my room – I'm off to the pre-match press conference. -
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Live: Greentown v United
United's Asia Tour concludes in China on Sunday 26 July and you can watch the match against Hangzhou Greentown live on MUTV and MUTV Online.
Coverage starts at 12:30 BST, 30 minutes before kick-off at the Yellow Dragon Stadium.United's starting line-up: To be confirmed.
Subs: To be confirmed.
Both MUTV and MUTV Online are showing every pre-season game live this summer. After Sunday's game, the Reds will return to Europe for two Audi Cup matches** in Germany:
Boca Juniors on Wednesday 29 July, 17:30 BST
Bayern Munich or AC Milan on Thursday 30 July, kick-off TBC
Finally, the Reds return to Old Trafford for a friendly against Spanish opposition:
Valencia on 5 August, 20:00 BST (Match tickets are also available)
To sign-up to MUTV Online and see all the content on offer, visit manutd.com/video. To sign-up and find out more about MUTV, go to manutd.com/joinmutv.
*Supporters in Malaysia, Korea and China will not be able to watch the matches live on MUTV Online when United are playing in their country.
**Supporters outside UK and Eire will not be able to watch the Audi Cup live online. -
Monday 27 July (all times are local, 1 hour ahead of UK)
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Monday 27 July (all times are local, 1 hour ahead of UK)
16:15 – By the way, I can confirm Nemanja Vidic, Antonio Valencia and Craig Cathcart are all here in Munich after missing the trip to the Far East. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing Valencia pull on a United shirt for the first time, especially after Zoran Tosic and Darron Gibson performed so well in Asia. No doubt Valencia will have been watching those games, so he'll be well aware of the competition he's up against.
15:41 – So we're not alone. Boca Juniors, United's first opponents in the Audi Cup, appear to be staying in the same hotel. I wonder if either team will engage in tactics designed to put the other off – you know, setting off fire alarms, pressing all the buttons in the elevator, charging room service to the wrong account...
I think Boca will be really up for Wednesday's match. They've flown all the way from Argentina, so they're hardly about to take things lightly, are they? And as long as they have Juan Roman Riquelme in the side, they're capable of beating anybody.
14:52 – Training's been eschewed for time in the gym this afternoon so I'm afraid there's not an awful lot to report from Munich. Essentially, it's a (much needed) day off for most of the staff after another long-haul flight. It does mean I run the risk of getting very bored... although I've just had a look around my hotel room and, if I get desperate for something to do, could dismantle this and then attempt to put it back together again.
Somehow I don't think that will be necessary: Munich's a wonderful city with plenty to do and see.
10:25 – We've just arrived at the hotel in Munich to be met by one man and his digital camera. It's a far cry from the hysteria of the Far East. Even the airport security staff were jostling for autographs on our way out from Hangzhou.
If I'm honest, I don't really know what's on the agenda for the day. The schedule tells me the players are training at 14:30, but there was talk on the plane that it may be scrapped in favour of a session in the gym. For now, however, everyone's tired after a long flight, so I think it's a case of having a shower and maybe a few hours' kip.
03:36 – This is meant to be the live blog from Munich but this entry is actually coming to you from the glorious nation of Kazakhstan. We've only stopped here to refuel, however, so I'm not sure it counts as a country I can tick off my list of places I've visited.
Anyway, the Asia Tour is officially over and now it's time to focus on the Audi Cup. It's just under six hours from here to Munich, so I'm going to get some sleep. The next entry in the blog should be coming to you direct from Europe
