With our Premier League season just 10 days away, there is a determined mood at Manchester United and Saturday’s friendly against Everton represents an invaluable opportunity to prepare.
The 12:45 BST kick-off at Old Trafford will be live on MUTV and a crowd of around 55,000 supporters will be in attendance: the largest we’ve had since the Manchester derby on 8 March 2020.
This match against Premier League opposition will provide an excellent workout for the United squad and particularly those players who have only returned to training this week, which includes the likes of David De Gea, Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial and more.
Our training camps in Surrey and Scotland have been excellent, but there is nothing like the intensity of matchday and the Reds have benefited from three games so far: against Derby County, Queens Park Rangers and Brentford.
Saturday’s final pre-season fixture versus Everton represents a step up in quality that will undoubtedly help us to prepare for that much-anticipated opener against Leeds United on 14 August.
Remember, MUTV subscribers can watch the match live and coverage starts at 11:45 BST.
“One hundred per cent, this game will help us to prepare [for Leeds] and I think it’s always good to play Premier League sides,”says the proud Academy graduate, back from his loan spell at West Ham.
“Of course, Brentford are in the Premier League as well, QPR played really well against us, and Derby too, but it will be a tough test against Everton. It is about getting the minutes in the tank, staying fully focused and feeling refreshed.”
Looking ahead to next weekend and our Premier League opener against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds, Lingard is confident we will be ready to face a team that has become famed for its fitness.
“Leeds are obviously a team who run a lot and pre-season is about building up our fitness levels and being prepared for that,”
says Jesse.
“Because you want to be going into game fully fit and fully concentrating on the job you need to do. Leeds play man for man and it can be a tough game. For us, it’s about concentrating on what we need to do on the day. I’m sure we’ll be ready.”
United v Everton on Saturday will be broadcast live on MUTV and coverage starts at 11:45 BST.