Fortune: Fans Can Feel Positive

Former Manchester United midfielder Quinton Fortune reacts to the 2014/15 fixtures release in our video above and, in the article below, gives us six reasons to relish the start of the new season...
1. The fightback starts with the very first game in August. The expectations for this club every season are to win the league and be in the Champions League. We're not in Europe this season and it's going to be strange. That should be the minimum aim: qualifying for Europe. Some people might say our start to the season is easy but the three promoted teams coming from the Championship are determined to have a good start and will give everything to make it difficult for us. I've never known an easy game at United. There's always pressure on the players to perform and you need to handle it to play here.

2. Louis van Gaal understands the Manchester United way. Everywhere he has been he has had success. I spoke to my former team-mate, Benni McCarthy, who played for him at Ajax, and he said he's very good - tactically one of the best managers he played for. It takes a lot to succeed at big clubs like Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. He won't be fazed by United, even though for me this is different to any of those clubs. He's got the mentality, he'll give young players a chance and that's what this club is built on. There's a United way: attacking football, exciting football, giving young players a chance - hopefully he puts all that together and has success as quickly as possible.

3. A fit and firing Robin van Persie is an unbelievable bonus for the team. You see what he can do when he's fit and really enjoying his football with his brilliant headed goal against Spain at the World Cup. He's such an important player and to have that Dutch connection with the new manager is vital – you saw that relationship in the high-five celebration for his goal. But it's not all about Robin; we need that connection throughout the team to have a better chance of winning the league.

4. Ryan Giggs has the club in his blood. If I was Louis van Gaal I'd be picking Giggsy's brains because he's been here so many years, while Ryan couldn't have asked for a better manager to learn from. The players all respect Giggsy and if I was a player I'd ask him questions every day because of everything he has achieved. He's got to make the change from player to coach now. He won't be sat in the changing room. He's got to separate himself from that and it's not easy because he's been a player for 22 years. But Giggsy has a very strong mentality and will make that change quickly. He will want to learn as much as he can now because he could be the future manager of Manchester United.

5. Adnan Januzaj can be one of the top players in the game. He had an unbelievable start to life at United and now he's at his first World Cup, which will give him great experience. What he does next is down to him. He's a confident lad and everyone loves him at the club – he's the baby around the changing room but Giggsy and the rest of the guys will make sure he keeps his feet on the floor because they recognise the ability. He has to put his head down, work extremely hard and keep improving. Now it's the hard part: the second season is always tougher because people know what you can do but he can be a key player.

6. I can't wait for our first signing. Normally we do our business quietly and early. We're yet to sign anyone but behind closed doors I'm sure we'll be doing everything to bring new players in. I hear people say players won't come because we're not in the Champions League but Manchester United is big enough for players who want to play at the top level. You couldn't ask for a better club to play for. Louis van Gaal will have identified the players he wants and I hope we get our signings done as quickly as possible so we can get on with the football.