de laet

De Laet close to first team

Ritchie de Laet has signed a new three-year deal at Manchester United after impressing in pre-season. The Belgian defender joined from Stoke in January and every time he got the chance to play for the first team he showed good pace and a healthy aggression.

'Alex Ferguson told me I'm very close to the first team,' he told The Sun.

Tosic & De Laet left out

Sir Alex Ferguson admits leaving out Zoran Tosic and Ritchie De Laet from United’s 25-man Champions League squad wasn’t easy.

Both players impressed during pre-season but neither will be eligible to play in the group stage of the forthcoming European campaign, which begins on Tuesday with a tricky fixture in Turkey.