Sir Alex plans tour team

boy. He played a few games last season but it's not enough for a young boy of 21 years. He needed to continue with his progress. With Fabio at QPR for a year, we're just a little short in that department.

"That's why we're trying Robbie Brady at left-back. We also have Tyler Blackett here - he's a big, strong boy, tall and quick going forward. But he's only just turned 18. He has time on his side but he's here for the experience and he may yet surprise us."

The manager expects a tough work-out and will be looking to get a positive result, even though the priority is ensuring preparation is spot-on for the Barclays Premier League opener at Everton next month.

"We expect a difficult game," Sir Alex predicted. "AmaZulu will be well motivated to play us on such a special day [Nelson Mandela day].

"The first thing we always try to do with the pre-season tour is to get everyone fit and try to avoid injuries. The priority is to get the players match-fit. That gives us a platform to say that, come the first day of the season, we are ready."

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