According to midfielder Jamie Ness, Saturday's friendly against Hull will be a good chance for United to test themselves against strong opposition once more.
The Tigers' visit is the first of two home clashes, before Graham Alexander’s side face Rotherham United on Tuesday night (7.45pm kick-off).Speaking to The Iron PlayerHD, Ness said: “We’re looking forward to that.
“With it being local as well, it’ll be a good atmosphere, and there will be a few fans turning out, so we want to try and put on a good performance.
“It’s the first home game of the pre-season, so it’ll be good to test ourselves against a Premier League side, and see where we’re at.”
United’s last outing was the 2-1 loss to Austrian side FC Liefering, who Ness feels gave he and his teammates the examination they needed.
He did though add that the scoreline shouldn’t be analysed too extensively, as it’s all about fitness building at this stage of the season - with United giving 21 player a run-out that evening.
“They were a good test for us, because they were very good technically, and had really sharp players,” he added.
“Obviously they’re closer to their season than we are. So I thought we did well, and after struggling in the first 10-15 minutes we adapted really well, dug in and got ourselves back into the match.
“I don’t think you can really look at the scoreline too much, as it was more about just getting some miles in the legs and fitness under our belts, which we did.”
Evaluating Austria as a whole, the 25-year-old stated it was a very positive experience, and one the squad will benefit from in the long run.
“It was good, it was tough, but it was decent to get away with the lads and get some hard work in before the season starts in a few weeks,” Ness stated.
“It was a really good trip, and I think we’ve taken a lot from it, both physically and mentally - so I think we’re getting there, ready to go.
“It’s always difficult, because it can either be freezing cold or roasting hot, there’s no real in between, and you’ve also got to factor in the high altitude as well.”
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See much more from Jamie Ness and Kyle Wootton on the Iron PlayerHD.
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