Rio Ferdinand believes a thorough pre-season workout over the next few weeks will be crucial to United's chances of success in 2009/10.

The Reds embark on a four-game tour of Asia late next week and Rio says the conditions and varied opposition in the Far East will provide ideal preparation for the long campaign ahead.

"The most important thing about pre-season is getting some good training done," the Reds defender told MUTV. "One of the main reasons we’ve been successful in the last few years is because we’ve had a good base from pre-season.

"It takes a bit of time to get acclimatised to the humid conditions in Asia, but it’s a good exercise to play against different teams that pose different threats. "

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