Manchester United trio Wayne Rooney, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ander Herrera take part in cringeworthy PR stunt while on tour of China
Players were part of a press conference as part of new sponsorship deal with Gulf Oil
MANCHESTER UNITED captain Wayne Rooney and team-mates Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ander Herrera were part of a cringeworthy PR stunt during the tour of China.
The trio of players, as well as club legend and global ambassador Dennis Irwin, took part in a press conference to promote the new partnership with Gulf Oil.
Club captain Rooney pretended to look interested while reading a bottle of lubricant, Herrera looked at a helmet embossed with the Gulf logo and the three all posed with various products.
Earlier this year United had announced the partnership with the brand, with Gulf taking the title as the club's first Official Lubricant Oil and Fuel Retail Partner, for the next three years.
It is not known how much the deal is worth.
The deal is seen by the club as a major way to improve awareness of their brand in China and Asia, where they already claim to have more than 325million followers.
Rooney and Co then left while being mobbed inside the Shanghai hotel.
Jose Mourinho's squad flew to Shanghai on Tuesday for a two-game tour of the country.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a notable omission from the 25-man squad, but a number of senior players flew.
United will play Borussia Dortmund on 22 July and rivals Manchester City on 25 July, before jetting to Sweden to play another friendly with Galatasaray.
Transfer mogul Ed Woodward remains in Manchester as he tries to hammer out a deal with Juventus for Paul Pogba.
The Italian club rejected an official offer of £105m for the midfielder.
Speaking at the event, Rooney said: "I’ve only had one day [training with Mourinho] since we came out, but it was a very good day, the training session.
"But I think you only have to look at the teams he’s had before and the success he’s had with them, and we’re hoping he can bring that to us.
"I’m excited. It’s a big season for us. The appointment of Jose Mourinho is a big appointment and we’re all excited. We’ve made some fantastic signings too.
"Hopefully we can have a good start to the season and be successful by the end of it."