Thursday, 20th June, 2013
Former Manchester United skipper Gary Neville has poured praise on Swedish teams, and insisted that the Red Devils’ pre-season friendly against AIK Stockholm will be a good acid test for David Moyes and his men.
The English Premier League champions take on the Swedish giants at the Friends Arena on 6th August. It is one of six pre-season games scheduled by Manchester United, prior to the start of the new 2013/14 campaign.
The Red Devils start their Premier League campaign on 17th August against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium, following the FA Community Shield clash against Wigan Athletic on 11th August.
Looking forward to the friendly in Sweden, Neville has recalled his own memories of the Friends Arena.
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“Friends Arena is a wonderful stadium – I was with England for the opening game there [in November 2012] and it’ll be a great atmosphere and a very competitive game”, Neville told his club’s official site.
“Swedish teams work hard and they’ll be midway through their season then so they’ll be in full flow and fit. It’ll therefore be a step up for the lads in terms of fitness.
“I think you always want that in pre-season, though – you want that gradual improvement towards the end of it and just ahead of the Community Shield and first game of the season”, he added.
Manchester United’s pre-season Asia tour starts on 13th July – when they take on Singha All Star XI at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. They end their pre-season campaign with the clash with AIK – who won the Swedish league title last in 2009.
Moyes’ first game in charge at Old Trafford will be against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea on 24th August.
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