A five match USA tour by Manchester United possibly requires a bigger entourage than a world concert tour by U2 or The Rolling Stones! Okay, that may be a little over the top – although it cannot be far fetched, because I don’t have the slightest idea of how many people rock bands take with them but as David McDonnell reports in the Daily Mirror, United requires no less than a party of 80 to ensure that the multi million dollar pre season circus goes off without a hitch.

Read the full story

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher will miss the club’s pre season tour of the United States. The 27 year old has made only one start since 1 March after being struck down by a virus. “Darren will remain at Carrington to undergo a conditioning programme given he missed a large proportion of last season” said a club spokesman “we want to give him the best opportunity to be fully fit for the start of the new season.”

Read the full story

If you happen to wake up each morning – as I do, hoping against hope that a surprise headline may appear stating that Qatar Holdings has announced confirmation of its purchase of Manchester United from the Glaziers, you can now forget that slim possibility completely, at least in the short term. When Sir Alex Ferguson revealed details of the second successive pre season tour of the United States in July, he was indirectly making it clear that there’s definitely no change of ownership in the wind.

Read the full story

In all the media gossip over possible transfer deals that Manchester United may or may not make during the summer, a comment made by Sir Alex Ferguson during the recent pre season tour of North America was almost totally overlooked. Yet it goes a long way towards explaining the reason why the only ones completed so far were those of two youngsters who have barely hit their twenties. Chris Smalling will not be 21 until November while Javier Hernandez only turned 22 in June.
Read the full story

In Rafa he trusts – NO, not THAT Rafa but Manchester United’s Rafael da Silva, known as Rafa to his team mates. Newly appointed Brazil coach Mano Menezes has put his trust in the young right back this week by selecting him in the squad for the friendly against the USA in New Jersey next month. da Silva meets up with the rest of the seleção on August 10 and makes his debut in the famous yellow and blue two days later.
Read the full story

When the Manchester United squad flies out to the United States on Monday at the beginning of their five match pre season tour, the organisation behind the scenes will resemble that of a military operation. The preparation for a new season is hectic at the best of times but when a long overseas tour is also on the agenda, much of the responsibility falls on the shoulders of kit manager Albert Morgan. The club’s official website manutd.com speaks to the man himself to find out what’s involved.
Read the full story