Butt: Tour Provides Good Test

Nicky Butt says the challenge presented by pre-season games is improving all the time and he expects United to be well tested in their tour match against the Australian A-League All Stars next summer.

The Reds will travel to Sydney for their one and only tour game in Australia on 20 July at the ANZ Stadium. And the former United midfielder believes it will prove to be a good run-out for Sir Alex's men in their bid to get fit for the 2013/14 campaign.

"You've definitely noticed the improvement [in the quality of opposition] and how much more professional they are and how much better they are technically and physically," he told footballaustralia.com.au. "In my time, and maybe before my time, you'd go on pre-season tours and you could tell they weren't professional and they weren't fit.

"But now you can see how fit, how professional and how committed the guys you are playing against are becoming. It makes it harder, but equally it makes it better because these are the games you need to help get you fit and ready for the start of the season."

And Butt is pleased to see an ever-increasing competitive edge in tour matches.

"It's good we get challenged in that way," he adds. "If we hold back in our tackles and our committment, we get shown up. We're all professionals and we've got our individual pride and we want to go out and win every game.

"Obviously it's not as important as winning in the Premier League, but these are massive games when it comes to getting fit. You also don't want to get injured and if you walk on the line of caution you're more likely to get injured. So we have to give our all and I'm sure the lads will do that in Australia next year."

Butt was part of the squad that last visited Sydney in the summer of 1999 on the back of winning the Treble, and he has nothing but fond memories of the trip.

"When they told us we were going to Sydney, believe me we were all very happy," he recalls. "Some places you go to aren't as attractive, but when we knew we were going to that part of the world it was a great rush for us all.

"Sydney was a great place to visit with great facilities. It's a brilliant city and it was great to see the fans come out to support us. I'm sure they will again next year."