Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has revealed that he is looking forward to the 'challenge' of the club's pre-season tour of the United States.

United will face the likes of Roma, Inter Milan and Real Madrid this summer under new boss Louis van Gaal, and Fletcher has said that he cannot wait to return to a competitive environment.

"You want to challenge yourself against the best and, although it's pre-season, if you're playing against someone like Real Madrid you are going to be against top-quality opposition," he told the club's official website.

"It's like in training here; when we play in two teams [in training] it becomes quite competitive and you'll see the same in these tour matches. Once you get on that pitch it's competitive and you always want to win every game and every tournament you're involved in.

"I'm sure the sports science lads will be saying that it's all about minutes and not getting injured but sometimes these games can get feisty. It's what you want as you want to make an impression and impress the fans and the manager because you want to be in the team for the start of the season."

Assistant manager Ryan Giggs will lead pre-season training for the former Premier League champions until Van Gaal returns from Netherlands duty at the World Cup.