Irwin: No Friendlies With City

Denis Irwin has experienced life on tour with Manchester United, both as a player and an ambassador, and the club legend will travel with the team next month for Tour 2017, presented by Aon.

The Treble winner will fly out with the Reds to the United States as Jose Mourinho's men begin preparations for the new season with matches against LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona planned for the US visit.

Irwin travelled to Houston earlier this year for a launch event for the match against City, which will be the first-ever Manchester derby to be played on foreign soil, and, after his return, he sat down with ManUtd.com to reflect on his derby memories and answer our quickfire tour questions...

Memories against City
"They're all very good memories as I played in 13 derbies and didn’t lose one! There are a few which spring to mind like the 5-0 win where [Andrei] Kanchelskis scored a hat-trick [in 1994] - that was a great night. Another one that stands out is when we came back from 2-0 down and Roy Keane scored the winner [in 1993]. The rivalry has always been fantastic and they’re great games to play in."

No friendlies between the teams
"It's never a friendly when United play City. In my testimonial [against City] I got injured after about 20 minutes [following a bad tackle] and missed the first five weeks of the season. It was a very competitive game and the one in Houston this summer will be too. It’s a good game to have in pre-season."

Football in America
"It's growing and growing. I never toured there as a player but I’ve been on the last few tours in recent years and football is getting bigger all the time and Major League Soccer is getting more competitive with good players heading to America to play."

Perfect preparation
"It’s a great place because the training facilities are second to none, whether it's at a university campus or a stadium. I remember the team training at the Seattle Seahawks' base and the facilities were great. Some of the stadiums that the team have played in have been unbelievable and there have been a lot of big crowds. It’s a great place for players and staff to prepare for the season."

Favourite US city?
"Chicago gets the nod, just over Boston."

Favourite American sport?
"American football."

Favourite American sportsperson?
"Brett Favre, who played American football for the Green Bay Packers."

Favourite thing about going on tour?
"For me now, it's getting to see the team prepare and there is always a good vibe on the trips."

Best tour trip?
"After we won the Treble we had games in Australia and China and they were fantastic experiences."

Best tour game you played in?
"We toured in Scandinavia a lot when I played. I remember we had some good but tough games against Rosenborg from Norway and against the Thailand national side."