Won Pre Season MD3: Shanghai Shenhua Vs Manchester United

Hongkou Football Stadium

Wednesday, 25 July 2012

13:00

http://thepeoplesperson.com/2012/07/23/manchester-united-shanghai-press-conference/

Manchester United arrived in Shanghai shortly after midnight on Sunday (local time). They are operating on Manchester United Time (MUT) which is two hours ahead of UK time. This is so the players can evade jet lag on their return home. Once the players arrived in Shanghai they immediately started a training session which would help after being on a flight for over 15 hours from South Africa.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Rio Ferdinand would today be giving the press conference;

Sir Alex started the press conference by talking about how he’ll cover Chris Smalling’s injury. “It’s not 100% Jonny Evans and Nemanja Vidic will start the season. Jonny will start running today. Vida and Phil Jones started full training today, which is very positive. If I can keep Rio fit, then Vidic and Jones should give us ample cover.”

Rio on Shinji Kagawa “I’ve been very, very impressed. I’d seen him play for Dortmund on TV and I looked on YouTube. He’s been fantastic. He’s quick, he’s sharp, he has great awareness, he plays off both feet. I’m excited about playing with him and getting the season started. He’s been one of the better players in Germany for the last few years. I think he’ll bring that form to Manchester United. I think he’ll be a great acquisition.”

Sir Alex on Shinji Kagawa “On the training ground he never needs an explanation. After one demonstration he picks it up right away. The language isn’t a problem. A good footballer can pick up what’s needed. He’s been fantastic in that respect. I’ve been quite surprised at that.”

Sir Alex on reports United have agreed to sign Lucas Moura “It’s not correct. We haven’t reached an agreement for the player. We’ve shown an interest but until such time as we get a deal agreed we can’t say he’s our player.”

Sir Alex on more signings “We’ve signed two players in the summer – Kagawa and Powell. We think they both have fantastic potential. At this moment we’re looking at other options in terms of bringing other players in. We’re not lying on our backsides doing nothing. We’re trying hard to bring other players to the club.”

Rio on Shanghai Shenhua “We’re looking forward to playing Shanghai. It’s a great game for both clubs. Shanghai get to see where they’re at and the main focus for us is to get through the game unscathed and step up our fitness. There’s a lot of interest because of Drogba and Anelka but for us it’s just another game.”

Sir Alex on whether he would have considered signing Didier Drogba “The decision was his anyway. He said he was going to leave Chelsea and not play again in England. So that eliminated everyone.”

Sir Alex on Chinese fans’ reception “As we expected, there’s a great enthusiasm for Manchester United from the fans. We’re very pleased with that.”

Sir Alex on Darren Fletcher “Darren has a medical situation that he’s trying hard to keep under control. We don’t expect him back immediately but hopefully he does come back at some point. Paul Scholes, a year ago, was coaching my Reserves. Now he’s back playing and everybody attached to United is delighted. He’s such a fantastic player. In the long-term, trying to replace Scholes is very difficult. To replace a great player like him would be hard for anyone. We always hope somebody turns up through the ranks of United, from the Academy. We’ve also signed the young boy Powell. We hope he develops into a top-class centre midfield player because he has very good potential.”

Sir Alex on Chelsea “I think the owners have got their enthusiasm back. Having won the Champions League there’s more expectation on them now. That was the trophy Roman always wanted to win, so he’s invested in the team again this summer. It’s a challenge for us, I suppose, and we always respect Chelsea. You just have to wait and see how good these players are.”

Rio on playing in China one day “I think when you get to my age, if you look too far ahead your legs can get taken beneath you. All I’m interested in is playing for United. It’s what I enjoy. Pre-season began well. I’m just thinking about this season and playing for Manchester United. I’m obviously very happy here and not looking at going anywhere else.”

You mean Rio?