Jones Welcomes Tour's Diverse Test

Phil Jones believes the different tests Manchester United will face from Mexico, the US, Spain and France this month will stand the Reds in good stead for the contrasting examinations posed by teams in the Barclays Premier League week in, week out.

Louis van Gaal’s men will be back at the Aon Training Complex across the course of the next week or so to begin preparations for the 2015/16 campaign. Pre-season work will then be stepped up on Tour 2015, presented by Aon, with matches against Mexican outfit Club America, Major League Soccer team San Jose Earthquakes, and the respective Spanish and French champions Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

Each team taking part in the International Champions Cup in the United States will provide a different challenge and Jones says that can only stand the Reds in good stead for the new season.

"I think that’s why we mix the pre-season games up, to test yourself against different types of opponents that you are going to face in the Premier League," said the defender, who committed his future to United earlier this week.

"Every game is different, people play different ways and different styles of football so it’ll be good to have those tests – we’re looking forward to that.

"The league in the States is growing and growing all the time. They are producing more players and there are European players going over there towards the end of their careers and relishing it. The MLS is getting better and better, and San Jose Earthquakes will be midway through their season when we play them so it’ll be a very difficult test for us, but that’s what we need.

"Barcelona and PSG are top quality sides, we know the quality they’ve got, but I’m sure we’ll give as good as we get," added Jones, in an exclusive interview with ManUtd.com and MUTV.

"We’ve got to get up to sharpness quickly, that’s what pre-season is all about, but these are not just ordinary games. They’re big games that you want to play in and you want to win."