Manchester United defender Jonny Evans has conceded that pre-season is one of the most important parts of the campaign.

The United squad returned to training earlier today with the new Premier League season just over six weeks away.

Having missed the sessions last year because of injury, the Northern Ireland international has admitted that he will benefit from taking part this time around.

"Pre-season is tough and we are absolutely shattered after doing double training sessions, but that is the good thing about being away on tour, you can just concentrate on all of your gym work and the other things you need to do to get yourself ready for the new season," he told the club's official website.

"I missed pre-season last year because of my operation and I took me a wee bit longer to get back to my best. When you come back from your summer holiday you need that transformation period of getting yourself back up to speed and that's what pre-season does for you. If you miss it, it means you're that little bit behind so it's always a very important part of the year."

Meanwhile, Evans's United teammate and fellow centre-back Nemanja Vidic has been spotted at Wimbledon this afternoon.