Embarrassing defeat and bizarre parade - inside Man Utd's troubled trip

"As a player, and I person been there, they astir apt request this for illustration a spread successful nan head."

Hong Kong coach Ashley Westwood was blunt and to nan constituent erstwhile speaking astir Manchester United's post-season circuit of Asia.

As an FA Youth Cup victor pinch United successful 1995 - and personification who worked for nan club's in-house tv transmission MUTV during a caller pre-season travel to Perth - Westwood has an knowing of nan pressures and demands associated pinch being a subordinate for nan 20-time English champions.

While publically United's players talked up their post-season travel to Asia and privately officials person praised nan measurement they carried retired a upland of commercialized demands, Westwood said no-one should beryllium successful immoderate uncertainty astir nan reality of nan situation.

"No-one says it connected nan grounds because they can't, but fans and sponsors salary wages and this travel is each astir revenues," he said.

At half-time successful Hong Kong, arsenic United trailed 1-0 to nan nationalist broadside 153rd successful Fifa's rankings, nan circuit looked to beryllium going from bad to worse.

Two youngsters signed from Arsenal this play - striker Chido Obi and defender Ayden Heaven - scored nan second-half goals that brought a below-capacity crowd astatine a rain-soaked Hong Kong stadium to life - and astatine slightest allowed United to caput into nan summertime connected a winning note.

Whether nan travel itself was a occurrence is different matter.

United estimate they will make astir £10m from their 14,000-mile, six-day expedition. The costs is not connected to summons sales, truthful it is guaranteed.

At a clip erstwhile their attraction successful pre-season - some commercially and from a subordinate mentation position - is connected nan United States, wherever they will spell for nan 3rd successive summertime successful July, United's beingness successful nan region besides allows them to 'service' existing big-money sponsorship deals pinch nan likes of banking partner Maybank, hose partner Malaysia Airlines, brew partner Tiger and tyre partner Apollo.

If grounds was needed for nan existent intent of United's trip, it came from nan knowledge goalkeeper Andre Onana and defenders Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot had been substituted and were heading for nan airdrome arsenic their team-mates were being booed by a ample percent of a 72,550 crowd pursuing their astonishment 1-0 conclusion by a South-East Asia prime XI connected Wednesday.

The trio were boarding a backstage level to Mumbai, wherever they would walk Thursday connected a packed commercialized programme arranged by Apollo, earlier getting location a time earlier than those who had gone to Hong Kong for nan 2nd game.

As Westwood said, United's players had been fixed small prime astir being connected nan trip.

Departure instantly aft nan last Premier League crippled of nan play against Aston Villa meant location was nary opportunity to backmost out. Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt was present, moreover though he was not fresh capable to play. United wanted Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof location excessively but some had individual reasons to decline.

So Ruben Amorim's squad opted to make nan champion of it. Unlike a focused and driven pre-season tour, it is adjacent to opportunity their attack to this arena was 'relaxed'.

The scenes connected nan formation from Manchester to Kuala Lumpur were said to beryllium for illustration a party, pinch large euphony and drinks. Some players and unit members were seen astatine a nine connected Monday, instantly aft their arrival. There was besides a chance to upwind down aft Wednesday's game.

In nan aftermath of their conclusion successful Kuala Lumpur, location was gallows humour among nan squad erstwhile it was pointed retired somewhat ironically that aft nan play they conscionable had domestically, they had now managed to get booed by fans 6,600 miles distant from home.

Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee nipped retired - accompanied by information - to get immoderate late-night nutrient because room work was not to his taste. Amad Diallo, Heaven and Alejandro Garnacho tried to return an e-scooter ride, only to observe they did not person nan money to salary for it.

Garnacho does not look to person been an enthusiastic participant.

Told pursuing Amorim's return from a post-Europa League last acme pinch Sir Jim Ratcliffe and different nine executives successful Monaco he could find a caller nine successful nan summer, nan young Argentina winger remains celebrated among supporters, arsenic evidenced by nan raucous cheers for him successful some matches.

Yet location is grounds of a deficiency of engagement.

After nan ASEAN All-Stars defeat, Garnacho went consecutive past guidance skipper Sergio Aguero - a 31-year-old Argentina-born naturalised Malaysian - contempt promising him his garment from nan game. The harm was rectified by a United kitman, who grabbed Garnacho's garment from nan dressing room and handed it over.

Thursday brought much negativity arsenic pictures emerged connected societal media of Amad making a one-fingered gesture to a instrumentality arsenic he was leaving nan squad hotel.

Amad subsequently said he was responding to maltreatment against his mum. He accepted his guidance was incorrect but astatine nan aforesaid clip did not regret it.

If circumstantial behaviours raise an eyebrow aliases tin beryllium excused, from a firm perspective, immoderate of United's decisions person besides been dubious.

The discourse is intelligibly different but having ruled retired having a parade if they won nan Europa League last successful Bilbao, to spot a group of players - including Zirkzee - embark connected a autobus parade done Kuala Lumpur was bizarre. Some fans did move retired - and location remains enthusiasm for United successful this region.

But it is not connected remotely nan aforesaid levels arsenic their past sojourn to Malaysia, successful 2009, erstwhile they were Premier League champions, and had nan likes of Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney successful their squad.

At that time, they struggled to get astir their edifice specified was nan changeless beingness of fans. Their first crippled attracted a crowd of 85,000 - and location were 30,000 astatine a second, arranged astatine 48 hours' announcement aft a violent onslaught successful Jakarta, wherever they were expected to beryllium going.

Nani was connected that circuit excessively and nan Portuguese winger was portion of a three-man squad of 'legends' on pinch Wes Brown and John O'Shea who person been connected this travel to push nan nine narrative.

For Amorim, it has been different eye-opening clang people successful what being a figurehead astatine United means. "More than a manager" was his appraisal successful Hong Kong connected Thursday night.

He was introduced to Anwar Ibrahim - nan Malaysian premier minister, and a United instrumentality - during his clip successful Kuala Lumpur. It is nan benignant of vulnerability you do not get astatine astir clubs, moreover nan size of his erstwhile squad Sporting successful Portugal.

Amorim knows, stripped distant from nan sideshow, he must present results.

Somehow successful Malaysia, aft a play successful which he described his squad arsenic "probably nan worst" United person ever had, his broadside managed to suffer against a squad made up of players from a region pinch nary history of making an effect connected nan world stage.

United were booed off, Amorim claimed his broadside were "chokers" and he had to implore supporters to bargain tickets for nan Hong Kong game. It was a plea that went unheeded judging by nan numbers of quiet seats.

The squad arrived successful Hong Kong to a immense thunderstorm and a deluge that raised concerns nan last lucifer of nan travel mightiness not return place.

The crippled went ahead, though it did truthful amid caller speculation complete the early of skipper Bruno Fernandes, who has been nan taxable of a immense connection from Saudi nine Al-Hilal, who want nan Portugal midfielder to beryllium portion of their squad astatine nan Club World Cup.

Amorim believes Fernandes will stay, but until nan 30-year-old aliases Al Hilal specifically authorities otherwise, thing is certain.

Eventual triumph against Hong Kong was good received by nan astir of those location to witnesser it.

But Amorim accepts nan travel was missing thing beautiful important.

Between June and August 2011, marketplace investigation institution Kantar conducted a canvass of "nearly 54,000 adults successful 39 countries" and concluded United had 659 cardinal world "followers".

In this play of sadistic cost-cutting, it seems doubtful Ratcliffe will beryllium commissioning an update immoderate clip soon. On nan evidence present successful Hong Kong and Malaysia, it is difficult to ideate United person adjacent to that number now.

Where erstwhile they dominated nan Premier League commercially, now they way Manchester City, who person generated greater prize money complete nan past decade.

United are not nan tie they erstwhile were, contempt nan reddish shirts connected show this week, which, successful fairness to Fernandes, Garnacho and others, they spent clip signing for fans earlier leaving for Hong Kong airdrome and home.

It is not known erstwhile they will return to nan region - but Amorim knows for definite what would make it a amended acquisition than this one.

"We want to return but I would for illustration to travel backmost pinch amended results," he said.

"The group are really beautiful and respectful and we are grateful for everybody. But it would beryllium truthful overmuch nosy to travel present pinch titles."