Van Gaal gets his way as United cut summer tour

According to various reports across the UK press, Louis van Gaal has won his argument with the Manchester United hierarchy over the club's pre-season arrangements. This summer United will again play in the International Champions Cup — got to defend that trophy — but will not spend over two weeks schlepping all over the USA, as they did last year.

Instead, they will spend around 12 days in the USA and will stay at a single base, likely on the west coast; they'll be back in the UK by August 1, a week before the start of the season. According to the Mail:

The Dutch veteran was furious at the itinerary that he felt asked too much of his players as they were constantly asked to fly in to different time zones and even play at altitude in Colorado. Having to then play the final in Florida during a thunderstorm was the final straw ... Van Gaal has insisted this time that his team will travel to match venues from one base and will have no repeat of the arduous treks endured to games in Pasadena and Ann Arbor last year.

We at tBB are happy to proclaim this as A Good Thing, though perhaps some of our east coast readers might feel a little sore that they won't have a visit from the famous Man United this time around. Still, this fits with Van Gaal's recent noises about doing everything possible to nail the title next season. Suits 0-1 Tracksuits.