United Sign Mister Potato

Sir Alex and six of his first-team stars joined together at Old Trafford to welcome the club's newest global partner, Mister Potato, to the United family.

Malaysian company Mamee-Double Decker owns more than 30 per cent of the snack food business in Malaysia, with Mister Potato the most popular snack brand in the country. As part of the deal, Mamee Noodles will also become an official partner in Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.

In time, it's anticipated canisters of the Mister Potato crisps will be sold inside the stadium on matchdays. For now, though, the product will feature new packaging in Asia, featuring imagery of some of United's biggest stars.

Mamee hope the partnership with Manchester United will help the company double its revenue by 2014. Chief Executive Officer Datuk Pang Tee Chew said: "A substantial portion of United fans are in Asia and we are looking to solidify our position as the number one stacked chip brand in the region."

Journalists and VIPs from Malaysia flew to Old Trafford for a special launch to mark the beginning of the three-year deal.

Speaking at the event, Sir Alex Ferguson recalled the club's most recent visit to Malaysia, in 2009.

"We look at Malaysia as one of our main areas of support," he said. "We had 35,000 people turn up to an open training session!

"The loyalty the fans there have shown us over many years has been fantastic and I hope this is the start of another long association. I'm sure our partnership with Mamee will be 100 per cent."

Michael Owen, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young, Mame Biram Diouf, Ji-sung Park and Antonio Valencia also attended the launch. They chatted, signed autographs and posed for pictures with the guests.

Mister Potato

* no.1 potato snack in Malaysia
* exported to more than 80 countries
* more than 40million canisters sold every year

Mamee-Double Decker

* more than 40 years in business
* three generations of leadership
* no.1 Malaysian food and beverage brand