Greg Abbott on what he wants from the squad
United manager Greg Abbott spoke today about his optimism for next season as he put the squad through a gruelling double session of football and running based drills.
“We have players who really want to be here and that’s very important when you have a squad the size of ours,” he said.
“We can't afford to have players who don't feel at home here. I think if our fans see people with determination, and who give everything to the club, they'll give their players the benefit of the doubt.
“It's just as important for them as it is for me to know that the people who pull the shirt on want to represent their football club. Every one of them has put 100% into the sessions so far and you can tell they're all very optimistic about next season.
“They've come back to us in great shape and we'll look to carry on the hard work throughout pre-season.”
“I think we’ve seen with David [Amoo] and Josh [Gillies] that they both really want to play football,” he continued. “David has already moved into a flat in Carlisle for two years and that tells me he is willing to give us everything. That's exactly what we're looking for.
“Josh just wants to play the game and he’s really keen to show people that he can adjust to this level of football. He has come in and trained hard and he is another who is a pleasure to work with.”
“David Amoo is going to bring an unknown quality because nobody has really got the best out of him yet,” he continued. “He’s quick and he'll put people on the back foot. That's important because I think we lacked a bit of pace and excitement last season.
“He knows he's wanted here and that he'll be made to work hard, but I think that will bring out the best in him. We need to try and get some consistency out of him and that should mean he'll progress nicely as a player.”
“Mike [Edwards] is in a very determined mood,” he said. “That gives us three centre backs fighting for two positions. He’s a good player and he’ll want to show that to people this season.”
“We'll make sure everybody gets a run out in the back-to-back games against Penrith and Kendal this weekend,” he explained. “They won't be ready to play 90 minutes, because we'll only have been training for a week or so by then, but everybody will get some pitch time between the two games. That obviously includes our trial players.”
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