China's more than two million fans of Manchester United have a golden opportunity to see their soccer heroes playing on their own doorstep.

On Thursday, Chevrolet signed a five-year agreement to become the official automotive partner of the Barclays Premier League giant, and the deal will include the Chevrolet China Cup - a new event which will form part of United's 2012 off-season tour.

The Chevrolet China Cup in July will feature matches against Shanghai Shenhua and another team to be named.

Manchester United, which was founded in 1878 and boasts a record of 19 English championships, 11 FA Cups, three European Cups, one European Cup Winners' Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and four English League Cups, will be returning to China for the first time since 2009 and making its third appearance overall.

"Our preseason tour is an important process for the club as it allows us to prepare for the season ahead as well as engage with our fans and partners in different markets. We had a fantastic amount of support from our fans last time we played a preseason game in China," said Manchester United's chief executive, David Gill.

"We were overwhelmed by the passion and excitement generated by the fans who came out to support us, and we hope that many more will join us again this year. This is the first time we will play for the Chevrolet China Cup and I think it marks a fantastic start to what we believe will be a long and successful relationship with Chevrolet," he said.

"The opportunity to see Manchester United play in person is at the core of what emotionally moves its supporters," said General Motors China Group president and managing director, Kevin Wale.

lifangfang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/05/2012 page23)