Touring Hopes

Earlier today, United set off on their preseason tour of the United States. New boss, Louis Van Gaal, opted to take a 25-man squad across the pond, where their first fixture will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

There were a few surprises in the squad selection, with some players you'd expect to be going not on the list. Obviously, players like Robin Van Persie need an extended rest period after longer run in the World Cup, but what about players such as Patrice Evra? And the younger likes of James Wilson and Tom Lawrence?

All will be discussed as I go through the six things that fans will want to see in the tour:

1. LVG and Giggs in action.

We've known for a long time that Van Gaal would be our new manager and that Giggsy would be by his side, but we hadn't seen them together until just the other day! Every United fan out there will be eager to see these two on the touchline, giving us a taste of what to expect for the upcoming season.

2. Someone to fill the role as captain.

Journalists have already asked LVG who he planning on making captain. He responded by saying he needs time to decide. The top two candidates are most likely Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie, but with RVP not traveling to the States, Rooney may have his chance to impress. Other hopefuls could be David De Gea, Johnny Evans or Phil Jones.

3. A look at the new signings.

So far, we've only seen Ander Herrera (pictured above) and Luke Shaw at their unveilings. With Michael Carrick injured and Patrice Evra not traveling, you would expect both players to be given starting roles. We will also get to see what squad numbers they will be assigned.

4. Playing time for Jesse Lingard.

Lingard has been impressive in previous tours for United and had a very successful spell on loan at Birmingham City last season. It would be great to see him get the chance to show what he can do, having recently been shadowed by the rise of Adnan Januzaj, who is also not traveling after reaching the later stages of the World Cup.

5. The new kit.

The new kit has been a huge talking point lately and we will finally get to see the United players wearing it out on the pitch rather than inside a photography studio. New manager, new kit, new era.

6. Sorting out the Evra situation.

Patrice Evra was not on the plane to America and there has been no news of an injury. Yes, he did get to the later stages of the World Cup with France, but with all the uncertainty about his future at United, has he stayed behind to set up a move to Juventus? Only time will tell.

So there you go, that's what I'm hoping we see over the next three weeks. What are you wanting to see?