United unveil new away kit

Osaka - Manchester United chose a samurai-era castle in the Japanese city of Osaka Thursday to unveil their new away kit, with the gingham check from the city's industrial heritage intact.

The new shirt, featuring the gingham used on last season's home shirt with a bigger, bolder design, was introduced in the grounds of Osaka Castle in the presence of manager David Moyes and United players including hometown boy Shinji Kagawa.

United were to wear the shirt Friday in an away friendly against pink-clad J-League side Cerezo Osaka, the fourth game of their pre-season Asian tour.

"The shirt's large black and midnight navy gingham checks represent Manchester's proud industrial past when the check was produced in the city's booming cotton mills in the 18th century," United said in a statement.

The castle, founded in 1583 by samurai warrior Hideyoshi Toyotomi, has been rebuilt over centuries with its latest full restoration in 1997.