Neville Ready To Battle Brown

Having finally shaken off the injury problems that blighted last
season, causing him to miss most of it, Manchester United club
captain Gary Neville now faces another tough challenge - ousting
Wes Brown from his right-back position in Sir Alex Ferguson's first-team.


Interviewed by Manchester United's television channel, MUTV,
Gary Neville revealed that he anticipates one of the most important
pre-seasons of his career, attempting to prove his fitness to the
manager after long-term injury, and then seeking to win back the
right-back berth from the man who replaced him, Wes Brown.

"I've got a number of challenges ahead of me and the ultimate one
is to try and get back into that team ahead of Wes," Beville told MUTV.

"That's going to be hard for me given the way Wes performed last
season. I would say he was in our top two or three most consistent
players. He was fantastic throughout the season and deserved all
the success he got.

"I can talk about my injuries and being out for 12 months, but Wes
has had two cruciate ligament injuries and been out for 12 months
twice. I know now where he was during those years and I appreciate
how difficult it is. And even though Wes is younger than me, he is a
great example to me of how you come back into the team after an injury."

United's players - other than those on Euro 2008 duty - report back
to their Carrington training complex on Wednesday when pre-season
preparations begin in earnest.

"Pre-season is hugely important for every player but this time it's massive
for me as I try to break into a team that's won the [Premier League and
Champions League] Double," stressed Neville.

"And it's an even greater challenge than normal for the team as we try to
repeat the success of last season."

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