Tom Heaton says his 'fire is still burning' and that he will be doing all he can to make an impression in goal for Manchester United this summer and for the season ahead.
Appearing in the second-half side that took on Leeds United in Stockholm, in the Reds' first friendly outing of the summer, United needed Heaton's prowess in goal as he made several impressive stops to keep the contest goalless and preserve his clean sheet - in particular to deny former Academy attacker Largie Ramazani's series of attempts on goal.
Having recently signed a new deal to keep him at the club for the forthcoming season, Heaton explained that he is always keen to make the most of an opportunity when it comes his way, having replaced Altay Bayindir between the sticks at the half-time interval, as part of a full complement of changes made by Ruben Amorim.
“I think that’s exactly it, you get an opportunity to come and play, you want to put in a performance as strong as you can and thankfully today I think I put in a solid one, a few decent saves in there,”
he told MUTV.
“I think we’re quite happy with the day’s work, but we go again tomorrow and look forward to the tour [Tour 2025 of the USA].”
Touching on that new deal signed earlier in the summer, the 39-year-old said he still has aims on staking a claim to play for the Reds in competitive action come the new campaign.
Heaton and Bayindir shared the goalkeeping minutes in Stockholm, with usual first-choice between the sticks, Andre Onana, currently absent through injury.
“When the opportunity came to stay for another year in the summer, as always for me the priority is trying to get the shirt. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could do that and go and deliver performances, I hope today shows a little bit of that.
”Competition for places is exactly what you want, it’s Manchester United Football Club, it should be every single position.
“You’re competing against everyone else in the world because that’s the reach of this football club. For me, it’s about performing, working every day, taking the opportunity when it comes and hopefully showing the manager what I’m capable of.”
And the goalkeeper's passion for playing is still clearly as abundant as ever after providing a reminder of his quality in the Leeds test.
“For me, the 90 minutes have been few and far between over the last 12-18 months, which is difficult," Tom continued.
“I know I’m a bit older and a bit further down my career than most people, but the flame and fire doesn’t stop burning every weekend, you’re trying to get in the team, it can be difficult, it’s a real challenge. But I try to channel that energy into working every day and performing and when the opportunities come, making sure you take them.
"The manager is here to pick the team and rightly so, but I’ll keep trying to do my bit.“
Tom hopes to continue seeing opportunities to play come his way, as the Reds' preparations take us to the USA in the coming week, with a friendly against West Ham in New Jersey next on the agenda, as part of the next leg of Tour 2025.
“It should be fantastic, we’ve had a couple of brilliant trips there over the last few years,”
Tom added. “This will be no different, three fantastic games. On a personal note, I hope I get a couple of opportunities.
”Football isn’t a perfect world, I’m sure there will be bumps along the road for the team getting ready for the season, for individuals, but it’s about keep knocking the levels up and being ready for that first [Premier League] game [against Arsenal in August].“