is a bit of a damp squib.
Soccernet:
The football industry was expecting Nike to celebrate the start of its record- breaking £300million, 13-year kit supply deal with Manchester United with a razzmatazz befitting the unprecedented size of the contract.
Instead, Nike, not normally shy in announcing its products, will merely send out pictures of United players in the new kit to be used to mark tomorrow's official start of the partnership.
Nike, despite the millions it is adding to the bulging Old Trafford coffers, was prepared to go along with whatever United preferred on the launch day.
And the word from Old Trafford was that the club wanted the quietest possible launch so as not to dis-tract from the start of pre-season training.
A Nike spokesman said: 'We are happy to adhere to United's wishes. Not all the players are back from their holidays yet and there will be plenty of other occasions for promotional events.'
Yet rival brands are staggered Nike is not doing more to trumpet the start of such an expensive association.
Nike can't even send out solo pictures of United's golden boy David Beckham in its kit, because the image rights deal signed at the end of last season by the England captain limits all brands apart from his own individual sponsors, adidas, from using him in pictures except in groups of at least three.
So the Nike individual kit shots sent out to the media will be of the rather less glamorous Paul Scholes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who are both in the Nike stable.
Considering United's less than welcoming attitude towards Nike, it is ironic that manager Sir Alex Ferguson greatly upset previous kit suppliers Umbro by speaking of Nike in glowing terms when news of its United deal was leaked 18 months ago.
No new players wearing the new strip either.
Soccernet:
The football industry was expecting Nike to celebrate the start of its record- breaking £300million, 13-year kit supply deal with Manchester United with a razzmatazz befitting the unprecedented size of the contract.
Instead, Nike, not normally shy in announcing its products, will merely send out pictures of United players in the new kit to be used to mark tomorrow's official start of the partnership.
Nike, despite the millions it is adding to the bulging Old Trafford coffers, was prepared to go along with whatever United preferred on the launch day.
And the word from Old Trafford was that the club wanted the quietest possible launch so as not to dis-tract from the start of pre-season training.
A Nike spokesman said: 'We are happy to adhere to United's wishes. Not all the players are back from their holidays yet and there will be plenty of other occasions for promotional events.'
Yet rival brands are staggered Nike is not doing more to trumpet the start of such an expensive association.
Nike can't even send out solo pictures of United's golden boy David Beckham in its kit, because the image rights deal signed at the end of last season by the England captain limits all brands apart from his own individual sponsors, adidas, from using him in pictures except in groups of at least three.
So the Nike individual kit shots sent out to the media will be of the rather less glamorous Paul Scholes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who are both in the Nike stable.
Considering United's less than welcoming attitude towards Nike, it is ironic that manager Sir Alex Ferguson greatly upset previous kit suppliers Umbro by speaking of Nike in glowing terms when news of its United deal was leaked 18 months ago.
No new players wearing the new strip either.