Reds gearing up

We begin our look at United's new-season preparations by speaking to stalwart kit manager Albert Morgan...

Now the players are back, is this a busy time for the kit department?
Very much so. We’re still a week away from the pre-season tour to North America, so we’re not quite at the most manic time yet, but usually a couple of days before we go away my blood pressure goes through the roof! All the players are back and naturally they need various kit items, so I’m dealing with lots of requests at the same time.

So do you get much time off during the summer?
Not really! People say to me at the end of the season: “You’ll have eight or nine weeks off now, won’t you?” But that’s not the case. This year I’ve had around four weeks off, which is very rare, but now I’m back and my department is working extremely hard to get ready for the new season.

And this year there are brand new kits to organise for all the players…
Yes, and not just for the first team but the Reserves and Academy too. [Assistant kit manager] Alec Wylie and I have just taken a delivery of 60-odd boxes of training and match gear, some of which is