Gary Neville On Reds' Pre-season

s Manchester United prepare for the DHL 2012 pre-season tour, former club captain Gary Neville spoke exclusively to ManUtd.com...

It’s back to work for most of the United players this week. How will they be feeling?
I think the lads who haven’t been away on international duty will be loving being back at Carrington. They won’t come back out of shape, though. The majority of them will have started doing their own individual fitness programmes a few weeks ago. You can bet they would have had a frustrating summer, though, after not winning any trophies last season. The beauty of football is that you start afresh each year with a clean slate. United now have an opportunity to put things right. The challenge this season is always the same: it’s to win the Premier League, do well in the cups and do well in the Champions League. That challenge never changes. But, obviously, when you don’t win anything you have an added incentive because people start to question the team and wonder if the empire is crumbling. The manager and the players have had to cope with all that before, so this challenge is something they’ll all be looking forward to.

What role does pre-season play in helping to achieve those goals?
Pre-season’s critical. From an individual player perspective, you never feel quite right if you’re not fit in pre-season. I missed pre-season tours once or twice or picked up little injuries in July and it really affected me. It can take you two or three months to get into the groove. You always feel like those lads who have gone on tour and done that intensive fitness training have a head start. The month before the season – the time spent at Carrington and the time spent on tour – is of huge benefit to a player. It can help the team, too, to get wins under the belt and build a bit of momentum.

Do pre-season tours help new signings realise just how big United’s global appeal is?
Definitely. Pre-season tours don’t just introduce new players to Manchester United: they introduce Manchester United to new players. If a new signing ever wanted to see the scale of the club, in all its might, then a trip to Asia is perfect. You play to sell-out crowds, you can have 15,000 people watching you train, you have numerous commercial and charity experiences... there’s no mistaking the club’s reach when you’re on tour. It’s the perfect preparation for eventually walking out at Old Trafford in front of 75,000 people for your home debut. If they’re not already aware of the size of the club, a trip to Asia will soon sort them out.

What are your first memories of touring Asia?
My first trip to Asia with United was in 1995. We went to Malaysia for two weeks and I had a brilliant time. We played in front of big crowds and saw a lot of interesting sights. It was the first tour for quite a lot of us young lads from the class of ’92 and it was brilliant to spend time with the first-team players and coaching staff. I also remember the heat and humidity. I couldn’t understand how it was possible to play football in those conditions. I remember coming back to play in England and thinking, ‘This is easy’. But that’s part of pre-season: if you can run in that heat then it’s going to bring on your fitness an awful lot.

Fans who come to see United in pre-season shouldn't fear the team will take matches anything less than seriously, should they?
Absolutely not. You can go back over 20 years and probably count on both hands the number of pre-season games Manchester United have lost. There’s no question players give 100 per cent. The nature of the club, the nature of the players, the nature of the manager is such that you always go out to win. This is the first time many fans in these territories will see United so you have to put on an exhibition for them, as well as ensure you’re fit and professional. You might not be at the peak of your powers in terms of physical fitness, but in terms of giving your absolute all... I never saw a United player in my time give anything less than 100 per cent in a football match, whether it was a cup final or a friendly.

There’s only one match in China, which means there should be plenty of other events for fans to get involved with...
That’s right. The pre-season tours have always been a mixture of fitness work, playing matches, meeting fans, meeting sponsors, attending coaching sessions, doing community work... It’s particularly important to make a connection with the fans. I grew up in Manchester with the club on my doorstep and I always thought I was the guy who loved United most. But when you tour the world you see the way people in these countries support the club and you realise just how passionate fans are around the world. They pay big money to come to Old Trafford maybe once or twice a year, they camp outside your hotel, they turn up in huge numbers to training session... it’s mad! You can’t meet every single fan but it’s great to visit their country, play in their stadiums and take Manchester United to them for a change. The dedication involved in following United from abroad is massive. They’re up all hours of the night watching every Premier League game. The commitment is incredible and a lot of them feel a strong connection with the club. They’re obsessed with football and Manchester United and it’s fantastic to see.