As expected, Turkey's national carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), has followed up its sponsorship of European champions Barcelona by concluding a similar deal with Manchester United.

THY will be Manchester United's official airline, replacing Air Asia in the role. The club confirmed the deal was a multi-million pound contract and, though exact financial terms were not released, it is thought to be on a similar level to the US$4.2 million (£2.6 million) annual contract that THY signed with Barcelona.

Manchester United, Premier League champions for the last three years, were runners up to Barcelona in last season's Uefa Champions League, having won the competition the previous season.

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The cash boost comes at a vital time for the Old Trafford club. Manchester United's owners, the Glazer family, have faced fierce media criticism in recent weeks for their handling of the club's debts. Despite that, Manchester United have agreed a number of lucrative commercial deals in recent months with the likes of Globacom, as well as signing a record shirt sponsorship deal with AIG last year.

United are currently battling with Arsenal and Chelsea as they seek to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title, have qualified for the knock-out stages of the Champions League and play the second leg of their Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester City next week. The winners will play Aston Villa at Wembley in the final.