Saturday 23 July 2016 13:09, UK
David de Gea is confident Manchester United will challenge for the Premier League title as they enter a new era under "winner" Jose Mourinho.
Life since Sir Alex Ferguson's success-laden reign has been tougher than many expected, but anticipation and excitement is building around the club once again.
Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have already been signed by the former Chelsea boss, while Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed Juventus are in talks with a club over the sale of long-term Manchester United target Paul Pogba.
De Gea has been enthused by United's business in the transfer market and the appointment of Mourinho. When asked if his side are capable of challenging for the Premier League this season, he said: "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."
De Gea was speaking at the launch of United's new home kit in Shanghai, where the goalkeeper emerged onto the stage alongside Mourinho.
The former Chelsea boss has made a quick impact since succeeding Louis van Gaal, with his winning mentality, organisation and bulging CV impressing the Spaniard.
"He is a strong character," said De Gea, United's player of the year for the last three seasons.
"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."
Ibrahimovic gets pre-season 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 [Ibrahimovic] is a top player, he is a top striker," De Gea added. "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, pre-season tour of China.
The extreme heat and humidity has not stopped Mourinho's men from often training twice a day in sweltering Shanghai, where they lost 4-1 to Borussia Dortmund on Friday.
"With the heat, with the humidity, it is really tough but we enjoy China," said De Gea, who watched the International Champions Cup loss from the sidelines.
"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.
"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 pre-season 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 in an intriguing encounter.
Monday's clash is the first ever Manchester derby on foreign soil and, while it may only a friendly, De Gea is keen to secure the bragging rights at the Bird's Nest.
He said: "It is not the same, playing away from your country, in China against City. But it is always a special game and of course we are going to try and win."
