Manchester United, with four new signings in tow, embark on their preseason journey with a match against Club America in the International Champions Cup 2015.
The game in Seattle will be the first of four for United on this preseason tour of the USA, and Louis Van Gaal will be quite keen to get as much cohesion and fitness into the will-be-a-bit-of-a-new-look side as possible.
All eyes naturally will be on the new signings Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian and Memphis Depay, and the latter is already making an impression.
"Memphis really has shocked me," former Manchester United player Lou Macari told MUTV. "He is built like a tank. I can't believe what I'm seeing. I thought he was a frail, little guy but he's massive and strong with huge legs.
"The new signings will have a massive impact as there is real competition for places. I said watching certain games in the last two or three seasons that the bench was a bit weak, but we're going to have the strongest bench of any team in the Barclays Premier League this season, especially with the midfield players."
Van Gaal certainly has a lot more options in midfield, and it will be interesting to see how or who the Manchester United manager uses amongst Michael Carrick, Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini and Daley Blind.
Another interesting aspect for Manchester United in preseason will be the defence, with several players out to prove they are worthy of a starting place. Manchester United have been linked with a fair few centre-backs this summer, but one man wants to nail down his place in the team, and he believes preseason will be crucial to that aim.
"This is a fantastic club and I've really enjoyed my four years here," Phil Jones, who signed a new contract recently, was quoted by the club's official website. "It was a special moment for me to sign a contract extension and I want to be here for many more years and win things. It's a great place to be.
"I've learned a lot since I joined. I think I'm a lot more aware of how to react when things are going well and when things aren't going so well - you can be up one minute and then down the next. Things can happen to anyone at anytime and anywhere, you just have to be ready. That awareness comes with the more games you play and the more experience you get."
Jones is also expecting a tough match against the Mexican side Club America, with the defender saying this will be far from a let's-take-it-easy friendly.
"I think this will be the most difficult preseason game we've had since I started coming on tour with United," Jones added. "We've seen clips of Club America and they look sharp and quick, with players who can all use the ball well. It'll be a difficult test for us but one that we need and we're looking forward to it.
"Improving our fitness is the most important thing but we want to win the game. We want to win every game we play and impress and show what we're about, and hopefully we can do that."
Where to Watch Live
Get the Story on Manchester United's fifth summer signing HERE
Manchester United vs Club America is scheduled for an 8 pm local time start on Friday. That is 8.30 am IST and 4 am BST on Saturday.
Live coverage of the International Champions Cup 2015 match in India will be on Star Sports 4. The match can also be watched via live streaming online on Starsports.com.
Audience in the US can watch Club America vs Manchester United Live on Fox Sports and ESPN Deportes (Spanish commentary). The Live stream options are on FoxSoccer2Go and Watch ESPN.
Viewers in Australia can watch the International Champions Cup match Live on GEM.
International audience, including the UK, will be able to catch Manchester United vs America Live on MUTV, while the action can also be live streamed on MUTV Online.
