Nani Braced For Battle

Nani says Manchester United's impressive pre-season showing will help Sir Alex Ferguson's men get off to a good start in the campaign to win a 20th English league title.

So far on the US Tour, United have scored 13 goals in three games and conceded just twice. And it's this sort of form, as well as the fitness work being undertaken on the training ground, that the Portuguese winger believes will give the Reds the edge when the new season kicks off in mid-August.

"In every season it is important to start well," Nani said. "This season will be very hard. It will be much harder than the last couple of seasons. All the teams are getting stronger and they will be trying to be much better.

"We have to match that. We are doing well in pre-season. We have won all our games, we have scored a lot of goals and played good football."

Nani enjoyed his best season yet in a Reds shirt in 2010/11, contributing the highest number of assists for any player in the Barclays Premier League and chipping in with 10 goals in all competitions for United.

The 24-year-old hopes he can continue to produce that sort of magic in the forthcoming campaign and, despite the summer arrival of Ashley Young and the presence of fellow wingers Antonio Valencia and Ji-sung Park, hopes to cement a place in Sir Alex's first-choice XI.

"I will do my best to score more goals and get more assists like I have been doing throughout my career," he said. "I was delighted with my goal [against Chicago Fire in United's 3-1 victory on Saturday]. I had an opportunity to beat the keeper, I saw him off his line and I put it past him.

"I am focused on trying to do better. I will try to help the team win the competitions we are going for. If I can get more goals and more assists, that will be good.

"Of course I can get better. I will try to do that. It is not easy. If I get an opportunity to play then I will try and do my best. The competition [for places] is good. It inspires you. If you have competition, you will train harder and push yourself in every game."