Manchester United defender Phil Jones says their packed pre-season is perfect preparation for the upcoming Premier League season

Manchester United's packed pre-season schedule, with seven matches to be played in a little over two weeks, will boost players' fitness and prepare them for the start of the Premier League campaign, according to Phil Jones.

United, who finished sixth in the league last season, start their pre-season fixtures with a five-match tour of the United States where they face Los Angeles Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The Europa League winners then travel to Norwegian side Valerenga in Oslo before a trip to Ireland where they face Italy's Sampdoria.

Manchester United's packed pre-season schedule is perfect preparation, says Phil Jones

Manchester United's packed pre-season schedule is perfect preparation, says Phil Jones

Jones told the club website: 'The more matches you play, the more match-fit you are and seven games will give everyone a chance to get minutes under their belts. You need everyone at a good level for the start of the season.'


This season will be the second under Jose Mourinho, and Jones says that the manager will have every detail of the tour planned out.

He said: 'We know exactly what the manager expects from us and he knows the players inside and out. 

He'll have organised this pre-season period exactly how he wants it - when we'll train, when we'll rest and when we'll have commercial work to do. I'm sure it will be a great tour and I'm looking forward to it.'

After their pre-season, United take on Champions League winners Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup in Macedonia on August 8, four days before the start of the new league campaign.

Jose Mourinho's men play seven games in just over two weeks including a tour of the USA

Jose Mourinho's men play seven games in just over two weeks including a tour of the USA

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.