Saturday, 29th June, 2013
Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is insistent that a "good pre-season" is important for any club, as it provides the necessary foundation that will spur the club on for the rest of the campaign.
United’s "Tour 2013", stretching from Thailand and Australia in the Far East to Stockholm in Sweden, will be Carrick’s eighth pre-season with the club, and the Wallsend-born footballer has admitted he is raring to go and get some game time.
"A good pre-season gives you that base you need to keep going throughout the season", the 31-year-old told the club’s official site.
"If you miss pre-season, you have to play catch-up. Every player is different – some can come back [from the summer break] and get straight back into it but others take a bit more time.
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"I think it’s a vital part of the year – it’s important to get through pre-season and steer clear of injuries and be ready for the games at the start of the campaign", Carrick further explained.
With the club having their own oriental flair with Shinji Kagawa, Carrick is sure the Japanese international will enjoy the club’s tour.
"I’d expect [the reception for Kagawa] to be something similar to what we saw with Ji [Sung Park]. Shinji is the man over there and I’m sure he’ll get plenty of attention."
Carrick adds: "One of the reasons I enjoy going [to Asia] is just to see the reaction of the fans. It can take you back a little bit sometimes – even though they live a long way from Manchester the reaction the people give us over is amazing."
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