Sir Alex Ferguson has said Manchester United's preseason schedule in the United States will help the club to develop a winning mentality when it comes to facing top teams.
United kick off with friendly fixtures against MLS sides LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, before taking on Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona in the International Champions Cup (ICC). The tour ends with games against Valerenga in Oslo and Sampdoria in Dublin.
Tickets are ON SALE NOW for the @ManUtd vs @ManCity match at Houston's NRG Stadium on July 20! https://t.co/8lEOAmr2rL pic.twitter.com/LTRgsj2Kh6
- Int Champions Cup (@IntChampionsCup) June 7, 2017
As United prepare to return to the Champions League next season, Ferguson said the challenge of taking on a high level of opponent in preseason is one to grasp.
"The great thing about United is you've got to accept the challenge of beating the best," Ferguson told the club's official website. "The expectation is always there and the matches we'll face in the ICC are all big ones. It's very good for the younger players to come into this type of competition in terms of preparing to be a Manchester United player.
"The more intense the challenge they can get, the better prepared they will be when facing Manchester City in an important league match or Real Madrid or Barcelona in Europe.
"The preparation to play in games as big as that can be started in preseason tournaments like the ICC, which is fantastic."
When United played Real Madrid in Michigan in 2014 the game attracted a record crowd for a football match in the U.S., with 109,318 present. Ferguson said big numbers will again come out to support the club this summer.
He added: "Every time we come to the States we get a full house and that tells you everything."