Manchester United goal keeper David de Gea is optimistic his Team will contest for the
Premier League title as they enter a new era under Jose Mourinho.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson's success-laden reign came to an end, life has been
tougher than many expected, but anticipation and excitement is building
around the club once again.
Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and,
most excitingly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic have bolstered a squad that will
soon welcome a top-level midfielder, with United trying to acquire
Juventus' Paul Pogba in what could prove a world-record deal.
De
Gea has been enthused both by the summer acquisitions and appointment of
Mourinho, with the player so often linked to Real Madrid clearly
excited by the season ahead at Old Trafford.
Asked if United are
capable of challenging for the Premier League this term, De Gea told
Press Association Sport: "Of course, of course. I think we signed top
players, really good players. We are Manchester United and we want to
fight for everything.
"I feel for the fans, for the club and the
players [that something exciting is coming] -- you feel like [it is] a
new era. I think the club is really strong now. The players, we want to
everything and hopefully we can do it."
David De Gea believes Manchester United can claim title under Jose Mourinho.
De Gea was speaking at the launch of United's new adidas home kit in
Shanghai, where the goalkeeper emerged onto the stage alongside
Mourinho.
The former Chelsea boss has quickly made an impact since succeeding
Louis van Gaal, with his winning mentality, organisation and bulging CV
impressing the Spaniard.
"He is a strong character," De Gea, United's player of the year for
the last three seasons, added. "He is a winner -- he is one of the best
managers in the world and we feel it. We are really comfortable with
him.
"He is a strong character but he makes jokes. It is good for us to laugh and I think he is a really good manager."
Mourinho certainly does not shy away from the spotlight, much like stand-out summer signing Ibrahimovic.
The 34-year-old gets preseason training under way in Manchester this
Sunday and De Gea hopes his cutting edge will add an exciting new
dimension to United's attack.
"You know he is a top player, he is a top striker,'' he said of
Ibrahimovic. "He is a killer and hopefully he plays his best in
Manchester."
Ibrahimovic is among the handful of first-team players absent from United's short, if testing, preseason tour of China.
The heat and humidity has not stopped Mourinho's men from often
training twice a day in sweltering Shanghai, where on Friday they lost
4-1 to a Borussia Dortmund side admittedly far more advanced in their
preseason preparations.
"With the heat, with the humidity, it is really tough but we enjoy
China," De Gea said. "It is my first time here. It is really hard
training but we enjoy it a lot. It is unbelievable the fans in China. It
is really crazy, but it is good for us. We enjoy it a lot.
"Of course [the tour brings us closer together], with a new manager
and with new players. Of course we need to train, train and try to be a
compact team.
"The key in preseason is try to be fit as soon as possible and then go to the Premier League and try to win."
The Dortmund match was the first of a tour that continues onto Beijing, where Pep Guardiola's Manchester City await.
Monday's match will be the first ever Manchester derby outside home soil
and, De Gea is keen to secure the bragging
rights at the Bird's Nest despite the friendly.
"Playing away from your country is different from home, "But it is always a special game and of course we are
going to try and win."
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