Lingard's hard work pays off

United midfielder Jesse Lingard admits even he has been surprised by the rapid progress he's made in the past 12 months.

Lauded by Sir Alex Ferguson following his first taste of senior football in Wednesday's opening pre-season fixture in Durban, the 19-year-old midfielder now hopes to earn more opportunities to impress on the big stage.

A close-to-capacity Moses Mabhida Stadium (a World Cup semi-final venue in 2010) is certainly a long way from Conference side Fleetwood Town's quaint Highbury Stadium, the ground on which Lingard came off the bench for United's Reserves a year to the day before he spoke to ManUtd.com on Friday.

"It's been a mad experience for me, to be honest," he says. "It's even surprised me. I've come on a lot quicker than anybody thought I would. But from the start of last year's Reserves season until now, where I'm playing first-team friendlies in South Africa, I've loved every minute of it.

"I'm happy I've been given a chance and now I'm determined to prove I belong here. It would mean a lot [if I succeed in nailing down a regular spot]. But if you want to get into this team you have to put in the effort. You look at the likes of Rio Ferdinand and you see the attributes you need to be a top player. I know I need to get bigger and stronger so that's what I'm going to do."

Lingard, who's both slighter and shorter than most modern-day footballers, revealed he spent time this summer undertaking extra training in a bid to get sharper and stronger for the new season.

"A lot of my progression can be put down to hard work. I've been hitting the gym a lot and I went away this summer to America where I did a lot of speed work and extra training. It's all paid off in what seems like a matter of months."

Lingard's no overnight sensation, though. He's been on United's books since he was seven. In recent years he's shone for both the Under-18s and the Reserves and admitted recently he'd relish a loan move away from Old Trafford.

"It's a natural progression," he says. "You move up from the Academy into the Reserves and then, hopefully, you play well and secure a loan.

"It's good for me that the manager's brought me on tour to get a bit of experience. If I do go on loan then this taste of being around a first-team squad should really help me. The aim would then be to do well and then come back and challenge for a first-team spot. That's what Danny Welbeck did when he went to Sunderland."

Like Welbeck, Lingard - born in Warrington - grew up a staunch United fan. "For as long as I remember," he says, "all I wanted to do was to play for this club.

"I've been at United from the age of seven. It's a massive deal for me to have progressed so far. I've worked hard all my life to get here and it's now starting to pay off."

Ryan's GB lose to Brazil

Three of Manchester United's four Olympic footballers started on the same pitch on Friday night as Great Britain faced Brazil in a friendly match.

Rafael was the only winner in the trio, playing a full 90 minutes as the South American visitors beat Ryan Giggs and Tom Cleverley's Team GB 2-0 at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.

Cleverley, who also completed the match, conceded the free-kick which led to Brazil's opener by fouling Oscar in the 12th minute. Neymar curled the dead ball to the back post where it bounced up for Tottenham midfielder Sandro to head past goalkeeper Jason Steele. Giggs almost teed up an instant equaliser with a free-kick of his own at the other end but although Manchester City defender Micah Richards connected with the cross, there was nobody in position to finish the move.

Brazil doubled their winning margin ten minutes before the break when Richards brought down Porto striker Hulk and Neymar despatched the resulting penalty. The Olympic gold-medal favourites could have racked up more goals in the second half but were thwarted by an excellent display by England substitute goalkeeper Jack Butland.

Giggs, one of seven GB players replaced by coach Stuart Pearce during the second half, enjoyed his 63 minutes of wearing the skipper's armband.

The United winger told BBC Sport: "I'm very proud to be the captain. It was a good game to be involved in and it's always special to play against Brazil. We knew it would be tough. They are ahead of us fitness wise and we have only been together two weeks. But we are getting better and better and we will improve as the tournament goes on."

Great Britain's first match in the Olympic Games will be at Old Trafford next Thursday, 26 July (kick-off 20:00) when Senegal provide the opposition. United's stadium will also host UAE vs Uruguay a few hours earlier, at 17:00.

Rafael and Brazil will also start their campaign on Thursday (19:45), against Egypt at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff while David De Gea will hope to be involved in Spain's opening match against Japan.

Scholes has faith in kids

Paul Scholes is backing United's youngsters to justify his faith in their ability after working closely with the Reserves who have been promoted to the DHL tour squad.

The veteran midfielder has always been a huge advocate of Jesse Lingard and played alongside the teenager in midfield against AmaZulu while Marnick Vermijl, Davide Petrucci and Federico Macheda also trained with him last term. The quartet all played a part in the 1-0 victory in Durban and Scholes is fully aware of their potential.

"I'm glad these young players are here," he informed MUTV. "For the first half of last year, I worked with a lot of these players and know what potential they've got and how good they can be.

"They proved that in the Reserves last year and went on to win nearly everything they were in, I think, and now this is a big chance for them to step up to the first team and show what they can do. On the evidence of the game the other night, they all stepped up and played really well."

When asked whether his view was shaped by actually coaching the players himself, Scholes was quick to deflect praise onto Reserves boss Warren Joyce.

"It's no different," he asserted. "I was only helping Warren really for two or three months before I came back playing. But Warren looked after those lads. He's really helped make them become what they are today. They are all good players who work really hard and are desperate to do well. We just need me, Rio and Michael to reinforce that while we're on this trip to make sure they're always at it and ready to play."

United still No.1, says Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson has vowed to knock Manchester City off their perch, insisting: "We are still the team to beat". The Blues have spent the summer celebrating after pipping arch-rivals United to the Premier League title on goal difference following a remarkable end to the season. But Fergie has wasted no time in trying to flatten the Blues’ euphoria after making it clear United are still the top dogs in England. He is convinced his side will hit back to put their neighbours in their place and he said: "You can analyse every game you want to, but we still lost the league on goal difference. It is the first time it has really happened to us. That is usually such a strong thing for us. If you lose the league like that it does not matter who it is, it’s hard to swallow, but once the season is over you have to say, 'Right OK, we will just go again'. That is the great quality we have at this club. People may say Manchester City are the team to beat – but I don’t agree with that. We are the team to beat because of the way we react, the way we have bounced back from losing the league in the past."

The quotes came from an interview on tour in which Sir Alex suggested Kenny Dalglish’s handling of the Luis Suarez racism case was a factor in him being sacked by Liverpool.

"I wasn't surprised at Kenny leaving," says Ferguson. "(Liverpool owner) John Henry has obviously looked at that (the Suarez incident) and felt it wasn't handled in the right way."

Sir Alex also believes Rio Ferdinand is unlikely to play for England again, but that Ryan Giggs can play into his 40s.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has told fans that there will be no repeat of the club's disastrous Champions League campaign of last season, insisting that lessons have been learned from the defeat to Basel.

United were eliminated from the competition at the earliest stage after being beaten by the Swiss side, which capped off a poor performance in a group that the then-defending Premier League champions were expected to win, with Benfica and minnows Otelul Galati the other teams in their section.

The Red Devils had previously reached the final in three of the previous four editions of the competition - and their earky exit proved even more damaging than it initially seemed, as Nemanja Vidic missed the rest of the season with a knee injury picked up against Basel - and Sir Alex has warned Europe that his side will not make the same mistakes again.

The Scot told reporters: "That definitely won't happen next season. There's no chance of that.

"Over the last few years, we've used the group stage as an opportunity to play the youngsters. Last season it backfired on us.

"We changed the team too much. We won't be doing that this season.

"I just think we were careless. The killer was the game against Basel at home [which ended 3-3]. We could have been 5-1 up at half-time but were really careless in that game.

"We were unlucky against Benfica at home because we played well, but that Basel game was a real killer for us. They were just an ordinary team and they showed that when they played Bayern Munich.

"They were lucky against Bayern at home [Basel won 1-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie] and they were lucky against us also. Bayern battered them [winning the second leg 7-0]."

Ferguson is confident that he has a squad capable of emulating the United teams of 1999 and 2008 by delivering another Champions League crown to Old Trafford next season.

When quizzed on the subject, he replied: "Oh yes, definitely. Absolutely. There's no doubt about that.

"Don't forget that Nemanja Vidic only played six games for us [in the Premier League] last season, while Darren Fletcher was a loss too."

Manchester United team to play Ajax Cape Town: Amos, Vermijl, Wootton, Ferdinand, Blackett, Valencia, Scholes, Carrick, Anderson, Kagawa, Chicharito.

Subs: Johnstone, Lindegaard, Berbatov, Powell, Macheda, Bébé, Brady, Petrucci, Tunnicliffe, Veseli, Lingard

Shinji Kagawa making his United full debut:). Looking forward to seeing some more of the young lads again with our established players!

Bad news - SAF confirms to #mutv that Chris Smalling has done his metatarsal - he will be out for 10 weeks. #MUFC

Absolutely gutted, what a blow:(.

Big blow regarding Smalling.

And this match, blimey. Such a bore.

Sir Alex Ferguson has launched a passionate defence of the Glazer family, insisting: ‘They have always backed me whenever I have asked them for anything.’
In a far-reaching interview here at the first phase of the team’s strenuous pre-season programme, the Manchester United manager rubbished suggestions that the mountainous debt incurred by the American owners of the club was hampering his buying plans.
‘I’m absolutely comfortable with the Glazers situation. They’ve been great,’ he said. ‘So if you’re asking me for my views, I don’t have any complaints.

Relaxed: Sir Alex Ferguson has no concerns about the Glazer family
‘I’ve never encountered opposition. They’ve always been as sensible as they can be in terms of financing the team, and they have to invest in the team to maintain the value of their asset.’
The fiercely strong anti-Glazer feeling among United’s rank and file following has grown with the recent revelation that the family are trying to float the club on the New York Stock Exchange in order to raise about £200million to help relieve the debt built up in buying United seven years ago.


That currently stands at £423m, with the club having spent more than £500m on interest, debt repayments and fees since 2005.
‘I think there are a whole lot of factions at United that think they own the club,’ said Ferguson. ‘They will always be contentious about whoever owns the club, and that’s the way it has always been.
‘When I came to the club, Martin Edwards was always getting pelted because he was going to sell to [Robert] Maxwell, then to [Rupert] Murdoch, Michael Knighton, and when they became a plc there was disaffection.

In the background: Glazer brothers Avram and Joel shun publicity
‘Then, when the Glazers took over, there was disaffection, so there have always been wee pockets of supporters who have their views… and there’s nothing wrong with that. But I think the majority of the real fans will look at it realistically and say it’s not affecting the team. We’ve won four championships since they’ve been there, one European Cup.
‘I think the problem is they [the Glazers] are not publicists. They don’t go out of their way to seek good publicity. They are quite happy to stay in the background. Roman Abramovich is the same.’
United are valued as the richest sports franchise in the world, at £1.5billion, mainly as a result of the efforts of Ferguson, whose haul of 48 trophies since he took over 25 years ago has made him the most successful football manager in British history. And now, giving little indication that his tenure is even close to ending, the 70-year-old Scot is as enthusiastic as ever about the future.
Citing the vast improvements to make the Carrington training complex one of the best in the world as evidence of the Glazers’ investment, he said: ‘Look at what they are spending on the training ground.

Investment: The Glazers have invested £30m into improving United's Carrington Training Ground and new players such as Shinji Kagawa have come into the squad
‘It’s going to be fantastic. At the moment it’s a bit of a bombsite, but it’s supposed to be completed by October and we just hope it’s ready on time. They’ll be spending about £30m and its all down to them.’
Ferguson responded to fans’ frustration at the lack of summer transfer activity by insisting he was not prepared to fork out inflated transfer fees. Responding to the fans’ clamour for a £30million-plus signing, he said: ‘Well they can wait!
‘We buy in the right way and that’s the difference between United and the rest — we can play 18-year-olds because it’s part of our history. It’s like a destiny for us that when a young player emerges we play him, and that has never failed us.

Coming to the rescue: Bebe celebrates scoring deep into injury time against Ajax Cape Town
‘No other clubs can do that. City won’t do it. They definitely won’t play any young players who have come up through the system. Their buys are all 25, 26, 27-year-old established players with a good maturity, experience and good ages. They won’t go away because the age group tells you that. They don’t have any over-30s in their team.
They don’t play any young players and the fans don’t expect any youth players to come through the way we expect them to at United.’
While Chelsea have spent huge amounts to sign the likes of Eden Hazard, the United boss has spent a total of about £20m to bring in Japan forward Shinji Kagawa and teenage midfielder Nick Powell.

Inexperienced side: Antonio Valencia is one of Manchester United's senior players on the pre-season tour as 13 players are still away
‘There is a borderline in terms of what you would think is a good signing for United,’ said Ferguson. ‘I see some values on players, like Hazard for instance. To me it was a lot of money. He’s a good player, but £34m?
‘What we’re finding anyway, the climate for buying these top players — not just the transfer fees, [but] the salaries, agent’s fees — is just getting ridiculous now. In the Hazard deal, Chelsea paid the agent £6m. The Nasri situation was the same.
‘It’s all about what you think is value for a player. I am not envious of those deals at all. We placed a value on Hazard which was well below what they were talking about. So if it doesn’t work, well we’re not worried about that. We think we’ve got good value in Kagawa.

Young hope: United spent £4m on Crewe's Nick Powell
‘We scout well. Sometimes we do the scouting for other clubs. The minute the agent knew we’d spoken to Powell, I think every club was in with offers. But we’d done the deal.
‘Whenever we show interest in a player it activates the situation with other clubs. But we’ve done well over the years. We’ve bought well, one or two bad ones, no doubt about that, but you handle that.
‘The big difference is when the academy started 10 years ago we had to change our scouting in terms of abroad. So that’s increased. Looking at countries like Brazil, Mexico and through South America. France, too, we’re all over Europe now.’

Fergie on Retirement
Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that Manchester United will still continue to enjoy great success even after he decides to end his reign as manager.
Asked if he thought there would be life after him at United, he said: ‘Of course. Manchester United are an institution and the history here forces everything.’
Ferguson hinted that any successor would have to have had a wealth of experience managing at the top level. But he scoffed at the idea that following him would be a daunting prospect.

Not ready to go just yet: Ferguson says he still enjoys working at Manchester United
Would he like to follow himself into this job? ‘Yes, definitely. Why not? It cannot be an impossible job with the structure we have at this club.
‘I don’t think the club will choose a young manager because it is a job that demands experience. The future is absolutely solid. If you look at the team I could play all under 22 or 23, De Gea, Rafael, Smalling, Jones, Evans. Cleverley, Powell, Chicharito, Lingard, Welbeck, Kagawa. These players will become the United team for the next three or four years.
‘It would not be a daunting prospect to follow me.’


On holiday: Wayne Rooney is not expected back at training until July 26 after playing at Euro 2012
Fergie on Rooney
Wayne Rooney and United’s other top players may not be fully tuned up for the start of the new season because of their summer international commitments.
The club have a comparatively inexperienced squad on their pre-season tour to South Africa and the Far East, with many regulars not due to return to training until later this week.
‘We’ve got 13 players who are not here from the squad,’ said manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
‘Evans, Jones and Vidic are still recovering from operations and treatment for their injuries.
‘With the Euros, Nani, Rooney, Young, Jones, Evra won’t be back until July 26. Then we’ve got four more players (Giggs, Cleverley, De Gea and Rafael) at the Olympic Games. So it is difficult.

‘We’ve bought Shinji Kagawa and we don’t even know who he’s going to be playing with.

‘The rest of the squad won’t be playing until the game against Valerenga on August 5. It’s definitely an awkward feeling.’

Amos signs off with draw

Ben Amos was relieved to see Bebe snatch a 92nd minute equaliser against Ajax Cape Town as he says United would have been "massively disappointed" to lose the second match of the DHL tour.

The keeper, who is flying back to the UK to join Hull City on loan, had no chance with Alcardo van Graan's clever flick from a corner but felt it was important that the Reds responded moments later.

"The first half was obviously much quieter," he told MUTV. "We had a lot of the ball but it was all in the middle of the park and we didn't create much in the first half which we were disappointed about. When the lads grew more tired in the second half, they had more opportunities.

"I had a lot to do with my feet and a couple of saves but obviously it's little things in pre-season that happen. Judging distances and things like that. People talk about match fitness and match fitness for a keeper is about getting your distances and decision-making right, things like that. There were a couple of things like that but I was happy on the whole.

"We'd have been massively disappointed to lose. We're disappointed with a draw anyway with the amount of possession we had. To lose would have been very disappointing. Obviously, we want to get into the winning spirit and mentality so it's good we didn't lose the game."

Amos is looking forward to his move to Hull. "I can't wait," he enthused. "It's a new challenge and one I'm going to throw myself into and get as many games as I can. Then I'll come back here and look to push on."

r Alex has explained his thoughts on the loan transfer to the Championship side, soon after the keeper signed a new three-year contract at Old Trafford.

"He needs this challenge now. He's been very patient and did not have a lot of football last year. This move to Steve Bruce's team is at the right time. He's an England Under-21 international so he's got to progress all the time."

Smalling injury setback



Chris Smalling looks set to be out for around a further 10 weeks after undergoing an operation on a metatarsal injury.

The defender missed out on a possible place in the Great Britain Olympics squad and the DHL tour but Sir Alex Ferguson initially expected him to be ready for the start of the season.

However, the surgery to fix the toe problem means he will now miss the early part of the campaign.

"He got an injury on the Wednesday and, straight away, we decided to have the operation so he's out," the manager revealed to MUTV. "It's difficult to say with a metatarsal but it could be 10 weeks.

"He's not carrying any luck, the kid, but he's young and we've done the right thing in getting it done immediately and getting him back on the road as quickly as we can."

Smalling is expected to compete with Jonny Evans, Rio Ferdinand and Phil Jones for a centre-back slot, along with Nemanja Vidic as soon as the skipper returns to fitness. Evans is already a doubt for the Barclays Premier League opener at Everton while Scott Wootton has played both tour games in the middle alongside Ferdinand.

Boss pleased for Bebe

Sir Alex was pleased for Bebe after the forward lashed home the equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Ajax Cape Town.

The Portugal Under-21 international pounced on Marnick Vermijl's cross in stoppage time and showed great composure to take a touch before ramming the ball into the net.

Although Bebe had stressed he was set to go out on loan against next season, the boss hinted he could be retained in Manchester.

"He had his loan at Besiktas and then picked up a bad injury which kept him out for most of the season," said Sir Alex. "That is probably his first game for about eight months, so he will be pleased to be back playing and pleased scored a goal. "We’ll see how the season progresses for him, but it gives me a headache in terms of number of strikers we have there, but that’s not a bad thing."

New boys delight Sir Alex

Summer signings Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell caught Sir Alex Ferguson's eye in the DHL tour match with Ajax Cape Town.

Bebe's late effort salvaged a 1-1 draw after Kagawa had spurned a glorious chance to open his goal account. However, the Japan international impressed before Powell displayed neat skill as a substitute and was unlucky not to score before the injury-time equaliser.

"It was a competitive game," the manager told MUTV. "They caused us a few problems and we decided to make changes and bring on the younger players.

"Shinji was very good. He's an intelligent footballer, quick and has his head up all the time. He knows when a pass has to be made and I'm pleased. Nick Powell is a talented boy. He missed some training and 30 minutes was just stretching him a bit in terms of sharpness but the boy is a very good talent.

"We showed a reaction to losing the goal. We increased the pace in our game and could maybe have got a winner. It was a satisfying perfomance, a competitive game and a great atmosphere. Now we've got 16 hours' travel [to Shanghai] and we need to recover from that first of all."

Match Report:

http://www.manutd.com/en/Tour2012Tea...-dhl-tour.aspx

Tunnicliffe's tour aims

In an exclusive interview with ManUtd.com Ryan Tunnicliffe reflects on his first week on the Reds' DHL tour with the senior side and discusses the influence of ‘role model’ Paul Scholes and his hopes for the future…

“The tour has been really good from a personal point of view. Just being able to train with the first team is a great experience, but to have been able to get some game-time in as well has been even better for me.

I was pleased to play a part in the opening win over AmaZulu FC and get my first United appearance under my belt and it was good to get another half hour in against Ajax Cape Town. The way we came back in that second game to snatch a draw was typical United. We played okay but they started to dominate as the game went on and got the goal. But I think that fired us up for the final few minutes and we pushed hard to try and get the equaliser which we did thankfully.

I've already learnt so much from the first week on tour. The stand-out thing is the professionalism and the preparation in the first team. If you don't prepare properly for games you're not going to play well. You also need to make sure you eat well and get your rest when you need it. The likes of Scholesy, Carras [Michael Carrick] and Rio [Ferdinand] have all been here for so long and achieved so much because they do the right things to prepare for games. It's important to look at them and try and emulate what they do.

The senior lads in the first team are great - they talk to us a lot and always there to offer us advice, but for me being able to train alongside Paul Scholes has been fantastic. He’s one of the best midfielders ever to learn from. The only disappointing thing for me so far on this tour is the fact I haven't been able to play with him yet - he'd already come off when I came on in the last two games which I was pretty gutted about as I'm desperate to play next to him! In my eyes, there is no other better role model for me to learn from.

It's been nice to have some of the other young lads on tour - I've grown up with quite a few of them so it’s good for us all to share the experience. It’s definitely been an eye-opener for all of us, not just from a training and playing perspective, but off the field as well. Obviously we all know how big United are in England and around the world but to see it with your own eyes really shows you that. We've all taken part in some of the commercial activities the club do which is something that's new for me but I've enjoyed it, and I hope it's something I have to get used to because I want to be part of the first team and come on the tour every year.

The most important thing for me about the tour is hopefully being able to put myself in the manager's thoughts. That’s my aim. Obviously there are a lot of top midfielders in front of me but it's up to me to show him what I can do. I've seen how Clevs [Tom Cleverley] and Welbs [Danny Welbeck] have done on past trips and how they progressed from there into the first team squad and that's what I want to do. Seeing how well both of them have done gives all the young lads a big incentive because it shows that the manager is still willing to put youngsters in if they do well."

Robbo's respect for Rio

United legend Bryan Robson has paid tribute to Rio Ferdinand as the defender celebrates the 10th anniversary of his signing for the club.

The superb acquisition has looked every inch the world-class defender he promised to be after joining from Leeds in 2002 and is captaining the club on the DHL tour after shrugging off niggling injury problems.

Ambassador Robson, who is also on the trip, agrees with Sir Alex Ferguson that there is still plenty of football left in the experienced centre-back.

"He has had a great career with the club," Robson told ManUtd.com. "There’s no reason why he shouldn’t last a lot longer.

"Rio is a naturally fit lad with no weight on him. He’s a good athlete. He’s been having a few problems with his back but the boss is good in the way he can nurse Rio through that side of it.

"As long as Rio has the desire to want to keep going, there’s no reason why he can’t play quite a few more years, especially being a centre-half."

Kiko backs pal Petrucci

Kiko Macheda says he has high hopes that team-mate and fellow countryman Davide Petrucci can make an impression on the United first team.

The 20-year-old Italian midfielder came on for the final 20 minutes of Wednesday's opening tour victory against AmaZulu FC for his first appearance in the senior side on the back of a trophy-laden campaign with the Reserves whom he captained last term.

Macheda, who netted the winner in the game in Durban, is delighted to have his good pal on tour and is predicting a bright future for Petrucci at Old Trafford.

"I'm really pleased for Davide," Kiko told ManUtd.com. "He's had a tough time at United with injuries but he did great for the Reserves last season. He deserves to be on tour and was unlucky not to score the other night.

"I've just told him to stay calm and not to put too much pressure on himself, but to enjoy the tour and do his best and just play his game. He is a great player and it's great to see him playing for the first team. I hope he'll do very well in the future."

Doing well for the Reds in the coming season is exactly what Macheda has in mind too.

"It's great to get opportunities on tour and show the manager what you can do. I just hope I can get the opportunities during the season now," he added.

"My aim is to do well on tour and hopefully become a regular in the squad next season. I think I'm ready and I can't wait to start the season."

Manchester United's Anderson is targeting an injury-free season as he aims to boost Sir Alex Ferguson's midfield options.

The 24-year-old Brazil international joined United in a £25million move back in 2007 and scored a vital penalty in the final of the UEFA Champions League in his first season.

But in the four campaigns since then his injury problems have become progressively worse with Anderson featuring in fewer than half of the club's league games in each of those seasons.

Indeed, the former Porto man has struggled for fitness since damaging his cruciate knee ligament in February 2010 and admits this is a crucial season for his career at Old Trafford.

"The last two years have been very difficult," he said.

"No-one wants a player who has a lot of injuries. But I am still young. I am only 24. And I believe I can get through this.

"All summer I stayed in Europe to work on my knee. Now I am 100%. I don't have any more injuries. I don't have a problem.

"I tried to push through it when I came back but it was still sore. Sometimes it was bad and the pain stayed.

"Sometimes you think you might have to change clubs but I love it here. The club has always helped me, as have the other players. I have worked so hard trying to get right."

Boost

The Brazilian started the club's first seven games of last season in the Premier League and his return would be a welcome boost to a United squad perceived to be lacking depth in midfield.

Predictably, Anderson does not share those concerns about that area of the pitch, citing the presence of Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley and Ryan Giggs as evidence of their strength.

"Manchester United have some good players; Scholes, Carrick, Cleverley, Giggs," he added.

"If we bring in new players it will help even more, although you could say that about any club.

"The thing is, if I stay fit, I can be that player. I can be a success at United. You have seen, when I don't have a problem, I play well.

"The problems come when I have an injury. After six or seven games last season it felt as though one leg was 30% weaker than the other

Rafael has urged Lucas Moura to join Manchester United and has claimed his fellow Brazilian is excited about the prospect of moving to Old Trafford.

Teenage midfielder Lucas is one of world football's most coveted talents and has reportedly been the subject of an offer from the Red Devils.

His current club Sao Paulo claim to have turned down a bid of €35million (£27m) for the 19-year-old, who is also a target for Inter Milan.

Lucas is presently part of Brazil's squad for the Olympics, alongside Rafael, and it appears the two have spoken about the chance to sign for United.

Full-back Rafael said in the Daily Star Sunday: "Yes, I have told Lucas he should come to Manchester United, of course."

And, when asked whether Lucas was excited about coming to United, Rafael replied: "Yes, yes!"

Another member of Brazil's Olympic squad who could be on his way to the Premier League is Oscar, who has undergone a medical at Chelsea.

Oscar has confirmed he will make a final decision on his future after the Olympics and Rafael feels the midfielder can enjoy an impact in English football.

He added: "I have heard about Oscar coming to Chelsea and he is a good player and very important to Brazil.

"I really think he will do very well in the Premier League because he is a talented player.

Gallery: Reds land in China

http://www.manutd.com/en/Tour2012Tea...-shanghai.aspx

Eric Cantona 'kung fu kicked coffee table after Manchester United lost title'

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...kicked-1154255

King Eric!:worship::cool:

United legend, amazing that he still adores Manchester United.

I really can't see Anderson keeping injury free unfortunately. In the past three seasons he's had long term injuries that have seen him barely feature.

This and his inconsistency just leaves me doubting if Anderson can ever fulfil his potential.

Wonder if and when we will sign rvp or moura

Or both