Pre-Season so far, by Darren Hickey @Dhick92

One never reads too much into pre season as a benchmark for the new upcoming Premier League season even some find no point in it but there are many reasons to be quite tentative in performances and results in pre season. Pre Season offers the chance to build up fitness after a lengthy few weeks off where rustyness has set in. United have notched up 3 wins out of 3 thus far in their pre season tour of the USA as expected against MLS teams full of fitness and sharpness mid season but let's take a look how the team as a whole has performed. 



United started off slow in their opening game against New England Revolution with Ashley Young the bright spark in a stalemate of 1st half chances spurned by United which featured Rooney and Berbatov in the attack. Second half changes came with Owen and Macheda coming on with both making immediate impacts as Michael Owen finished from a tight angle in typical Owen style fashion from the Owen of old. Macheda also really impressed with two fine finishes but i was more impressed with his all around play as a striker his hold up play was superb as well as quick movement to unhinge the defenders which is such a promising sign for a hit and miss youngster who is still defined as a United player from the sensational winner against Villa from seasons ago. Here he looked like a player reborn after a torrid loan spell with Samporia which has woke him up to offer United his complete effort and talent he has.


United completed their other pre season games against Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire with 7-0 and 4-1 wins respectively with Rooney Nani and ,dare i say it as i swallow hard, Obertan impressing. The new arrivals have made a good impression. Between them, Phil Jones, Ashley Young and David de Gea cost United around £50 million Ferguson was already convinced, and remains so. He initially felt De Gea could have done better to keep out Chicago's Cory Gibbs but concluded that the header was unstoppable, and the keeper later made an impressive save with his feet. Jones' composure on the ball did not vanish under pressure, and both he and Chris Smalling can break out of defensive situations at pace. Young wears the look of a man about to do something spectacular, and appears to have forged an instant connection with Patrice Evra on United's left already with great one touch interplay between the two.


The fringe players have had more mixed success. Mame Biram Diouf has previously been denounced as ' Not a United player' but scored against Seattle, but his contribution against Chicago was invisible to the naked eye. By contrast, Gabriel Obertan has frequently been written off by fans, but looked tantalizingly close to what they call "United standard" here; his movement, the deftness of some of his exchanges with Berbatov, in particular, beg further opportunity to prove his mental strength. Danny Welbeck, who this week told the Manchester Evening News that he is determined to make it at United, offers gamboling pace on the break but is yet to prove a reliable decision-maker in the final third. It is hard to see where on the pitch his chance could come.  


Nonetheless, Ferguson does not intend to send Welbeck, or Tom Cleverley, out on loan again this season. This is Cleverley's second summer in the U.S. with United, and though he has yet to produce quite the excitement that he did a year ago, he has again shown off his vision threading passes through United's midfield. It will be hard work for him to gain momentum in an interchangeable central midfield which still lacks the creative and attacking minded spark to partner a Anderson or Carrick in there to do the dirty work. 


United finish their pre-season tour of the US with a game against the MLS All Stars on the 27th and finally the huge game everyone will be looking at as they face Barcelona in Washington on the 30th. Overall the pre season tour of the US has been a success financially and footballing wise as America again show that football or ''soccer'' as they so refer to it in an annoying fashion from a British perspective, continues to grow and grow.