CHINA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - New Manchester United manager David Moyes says that he has been very impressed by his squad after they complete their Far East pre-season tour

Record ID: 336495

  • Title: CHINA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - New Manchester United manager David Moyes says that he has been very impressed by his squad after they complete their Far East pre-season tour
  • Date: 29th July 2013
  • Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (JULY 29, 2013) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER, DAVID MOYES, SAYING: "I thought we made it look like a good pitch, actually. I thought we played well. And I thought it was a good, exciting game for the supporters to see as well. So, no, we didn't worry too much of the pitch conditions at all." MOYES LEAVING CAMERA OPERATOR VARI
  • Embargoed: 13th August 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Hong Kong, China
  • City:
  • Country: Hong Kong
  • Topics: General,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA9LZU659TGL68GGJ20YQYNASQE
  • Story Text: Manchester United wrapped up the last leg of their pre-season Asia Pacific tour with a 5-2 victory against Hong Kong's Kitchee on Monday (July 29).
    Danny Welbeck, Chris Smalling and Fabio da Silva each scored a goal in the first half with Adnan Januzaj's goal at the beginning of the second half putting the team 4-0 ahead. Kitchee's Lam Ka Wai and Alex Alkande reduced the deficit before Jesse Lingard completed the scoring for United ten minutes from time.
    At the post-match news conference, manager David Moyes, who took over when Alex Ferguson retired at the end of last season, spoke positively about his first experience with the Premier League champions.
    "Well, I'm taking away a great experience of my first trip with Manchester United in general, and what the football club means around the world. I've also had a chance to get to know the players, try to settle down in my new envirionment, and the players get to know me as well. They've been working with a great manager for a long time, a lot of them. So it's going to take time, but I think at the time I've really enjoyed working with them. They're incredibly professional, I can see why they're champions, because of the way they conduct themselves, the way they go about their business, and I've been very impressed by them," Moyes said.
    Since his appointment, Moyes has yet to purchase any new player, having had their bid for Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas rejected. However, he was quick to praise the contribution of two of his predecessor's young acquisitions, Adnan Januzaj and Wilfried Zaha along with Jesse Lingard, a product of the club's academy system.
    "I think to see a couple of young boys doing well, Adnan (Januzaj) and Jesse Lingard, who I didn't know as much about. I think Wil Zaha as well, who just joined. He's shown me what he's capable of in the games he's played, so I think they got away from the trip feeling they've come here and contributed to it."
    The match against Kitchee was played in front of a 40,000 capacity crowd at the Hong Kong Stadium pitch which had its surface damaged by the Barclay's Asia Cup matches played in torrential rain last week. United's match was played under clear skies and Moyes was not concerned by the earlier worries about the pitch after their win.
    "I thought we made it look like a good pitch, actually. I thought we played well. And I thought it was a good, exciting game for the supporters to see as well. So, no, we didn't worry too much of the pitch conditions at all," Moyes said.
    Kitchee's Lam Ka Wai, scorer of his team's first goal, said that he was excited to score against the English Premier League champions.
    "Of course it was very unforgettable to be able to score a goal against Manchester United. I was happy and surprised beyond my belief the moment I scored. I'm very happy that Manchester United have played seriously in Hong Kong. When the match started, I thought I would just play like any other game, it was only a friendly after all. In the first half, I could really feel pressure from them and how serious they were about the game. I was really very happy. The goal was definitely the most unforgettable one, but not my prettiest one," Lam said.
    United's next pre-season match will be against Swedish side AIK in Stockholm on August 6.
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