Will Keane says US tour vital for development with Man Utd

Wednesday 06 Aug 2014
Keane pleased with progress on United's US tour
England Under-21s striker Will Keane says his inclusion in Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United squad for their USA tour will be vital in his development.

The Red Devils capped off their trip Stateside with a 3-1 win over Liverpool in Miami on Monday to clinch the International Champions Cup.

And despite only making one appearance from the bench during the five-game tour, Keane was full of praise for the way his new boss works and says he was also glad to be there to understand his approach from the off.

"We have had some tough matches and we have come through so everyone is raring to go"

Will Keane

"With the new manager and the new staff coming in, they have their own way of playing," Keane told ManUtd.com. 

"They have their own methods, I think it has been important to be around that for the first few weeks and to grasp that and get a feel for it, to see how they want us to play. That's been important.

"We have tried it [new formation] and we have got some success from it, which brings confidence to the team. 

"The work that we do in training, you can see it in the games and it is paying off. That makes you feel good about yourself and you know that what you are doing is right. It is good."

United face their final pre-season match against Valencia at Old Trafford next Tuesday prior to kicking-off their Premier League campaign against Swansea City four days later.

And ahead of the League campaign, 21-year-old Keane believes his side have already made a statement of intent following their performances in the US.

"I think overall as a team it has been very positive," he added. "The win over Liverpool capped it off because we didn't have the best performance in the first half in particular, but we got the win. 

"When you are playing your biggest rivals, or one of them, you want to get the result and we did so we are pleased.

"Especially because we have had some good games, we have been put through our paces, we have had some tough matches and we have come through so everyone is raring to go for the start of the new season."


By Gary Stonehouse Staff Writer