24th July, 2012
Young Reds defender, Scott Wootton spoke exclusively to ManUtd.com at the end of the South Africa leg of the DHL Tour 2012, he spoke about the wealth of experience of Rio Ferdinand and other issues.
Two games into the tour, how are you feeling?
I’m delighted to have started both games and play a full 90 minutes on each occasion. And when I look back over the two games I have to be happy with my performances. There are a couple of things I’m disappointed about, but overall I’m very pleased. I’ve learnt loads of little things from playing alongside people like Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick. I think I’ve coped well in these games.
Do you feel comfortable alongside Rio?
Yeah. I think we’ve done fairly well together. We’ve both been talking to each other on the pitch. He has years of experience so he knows exactly where to be. All the information he gives is always spot-on. It’s fantastic for me to learn from someone like him.
How’s the body feeling? Getting up to full fitness?
I feel pretty good. A couple of us have played two full games, so that’s really helped. In pre-season you just want to get minutes under your belt, so I’m happy with how that side of things is going. So far, so good.
What have you made of the reception United have enjoyed on tour?
It’s crazy. You try and imagine what it’s like to travel with United to these places but you have to see it with your own eyes before you can understand it fully. There are fans outside the hotel, there are fans at the airport when we leave or arrive somewhere. It’s unreal.
Has this experience made you even hungrier to break into the first-team more permanently?
Everybody’s already hungry to get into the first-team but coming away and experiencing these things just drives you on further. I’m even more determined to make it now.
Has being on tour with fellow young players helped ease you into the first-team environment?
I think so. It’s great having some other young lads here. That’s probably made it easier for us to mix but the first-team guys are just normal people. They’re not these mega superstars that sometimes read about. They’re normal people who have done well. Everybody mixed with everybody else. It’s been really enjoyable.
You’ve started both games at centre-back. Is that where you want to end up?
Definitely. Centre-back is where I’ve played most of my senior career, although I’ve played in holding midfield and at right-back during my loan spells. They were great experiences and I’ll take things on board from those positions, but ultimately for me it’s all about becoming the best centre-back I can.
What do you hope to have achieved by the end of this tour?
I hope to have started three games on tour and played every minute of every game. I’ll then have a bag of experience from playing alongside Rio and hopefully I’ll have enhanced my reputation with the staff here at this club. I’m only young and I’m still learning. But there have been a lot of positives so far and I just hope it continues.