The country, which represents one of the last significant untapped markets for football in the world, has the fastest-growing economy after China and could create a wealth of opportunities for the club, according to United’s Chief Executive, David Gill.
Speaking at United’s pre-season tour of South Africa, Gill said that gaining a commercial foothold in India was a priority as they seek to retain their position as the richest club in England and that as a first step United are likely to play a friendly in India, perhaps as soon as next summer.
Gill said: "India is interesting. We have been approached to go there and we are looking at some soccer school opportunities there. We would not rule out going there," he said. "They do have ambitions and have a key goal to make it to the World Cup. Whether they can make it or not I do not know, but it's a huge, huge country."
Of United's estimated 333million followers worldwide, 20million live in India's urban population, more than half of whom are said to be `core` fans.
