In the pub on a Tuesday night watching United v Stoke when one of us mentions “5 years ago, we’d have all been there tonight.” A moment’s reflection and it’s with a sadness that this truth is realised.

Sure we didn’t all get to sit with each other – and not all of us were season ticket holders, but it’s true – we would have all been there.

The obvious demise of the season ticket began with the Automatic cup scheme.

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After a disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Benfica in the UEFA Champions League, United will hope to correct their indifferent form of the past few weeks as they seek to keep in touch with City in the title race and make progress in their cup competitions. The 19-time league champions are ready for a busy month ahead as the race for honours hots up.

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Nani has received a lot of (deserved) praise in last 18 months for stepping up his game and maturing as a player. United’s player of the year last season, the creator of THAT goal against Arsenal, the Playstation-esque chip against Tottenham, and a fistful of crucial goals that have sometimes been forgotten (like his goal against City last season right before Rooney scored his ‘goal’).

ManUtd.com carries an excellent interview with Nani, where he talks about the transformations in the squad over the summer, his left foot and the constant comparisons with Ronaldo.

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There is light at the end of this seemingly endless tunnel otherwise known as the international break – next week, Manchester United will once again be starting their Champions League campaign, with Sir Alex Ferguson determined to go one step better than last year. But before the Premier League champions can think of tackling European nemesis Barcelona, they must overcome Benfica, FC Basle and Otelul Galati in their six group stage games.

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With the retirement of United legend Paul Scholes at the end of last season, a gap has been left in the squad’s midfield. Admittedly the ginger prince did not find himself playing as many games in 2010-11 as he was used to in previous seasons, but even at 36-years-old he had the vision, creativity and guile to split a defence and pick a precision pass. Without the Salford born man for Sir Alex to call upon, a new playmaker is much needed, with three in particular linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer.

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The Reds players have been taking a well deserved break following the club’s 19th top flight title success, with the likes of Wayne Rooney splurging travel money in Barbados, however pre-season and the 2011/12 season are coming into focus. The club have announced that a three week tour of the United States will be a big factor in raising popularity for the club, but more importantly starting the players’ routine of building match fitness ahead of the first day of the season on 13th August away to West Brom.

The US tour starts on 13th July, with Sir Alex’s side playing against three MLS sides, an All-Stars select team and Barcelona in a re-run of the Champions League final. With the MLS season in full flow the opposition will be more match ready than the visitors, and will hopefully offer United a tough test in order to get the side back into the swing of things. A large squad will travel, and a number of fringe players should get a chance to shine and potentially stake their claim for a place in the manager’s plans for the season ahead. For you keen Reds fans with no definite holiday plans, United’s trip to the States give you the opportunity to get travel insurance and link football with a break, as following the team would allow for visits to Boston, Seattle, Chicago, New Jersey and Washington DC.

The side start with a game on the 13th against the New England Revolution at the Gillette Stadium, Boston, who are coached by ex-Liverpool player Steve Nicol. Boston is an expensive place to visit, and has one of the highest costs of living in the States, but has a plethora of things to see including a sports Trail tour, taking in the city’s sporting heritage.

The second game on tour sees the side taking on the Seattle Sounders a week later at CenturyLink Field. Seattle has a vibrant and notorious music scene, accompanied by the impressive Space Needle, making it a city with style and an excellent holidaying destination.

The fixtures start to come thick and fast as the Chicago Fire are the opponents on the 23 July, with the game being played at Toyota Park. The Midwestern city has a passion for all things sports, and is home to the Bulls basketball team and two Major League Baseball sides.

United take on the MLS All-Stars on 27th July, with the game to be played in New Jersey. The venue gives followers a glorious chance to travel into bordering New York City, with the many attractions of the Big Apple known to us all. The Maddison Square Garden is a must for any true sports fan.

The tour culminates with a clash against the European champions on 30th July, with the Reds looking for revenge in a fixture in the American capital Washington DC. The city offers a side range of things to see and do, with the Smithsonian Museum, national monuments and houses of government spectacular and interesting.

The Tour 2011 squad is provisional, subject to change in the event of training injuries:

Goalkeepers: Anders Lindegaard, Ben Amos, Sam Johnstone
Defenders: Rafael, Fabio, Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand
Midfielders: Michael Carrick, Nani, Anderson, Ryan Giggs, Ji-sung Park, Gabriel Obertan
Forwards: Mame Biram Diouf, Federico Macheda, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov, Ashley Young.

The following players will join the tour after their agreed leave time: Chris Smalling, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, David de Gea, Phil Jones, Javier Hernandez.

Gareth McKnight writes for Soccerlens.com.

The 2011/2012 Manchester United home kit has been revealed and it will be available from June 3, 2011. However, you can pre-order the kit now so you will receive your shirt on June 3rd.

The simple red shirt with a black and white striped collar is quite similar to the current home shirt. The only major differences are the style of collar and the white stripe on the shoulder and arms has been removed.

Fans don’t seem to be content with anything Nike does. Until last year, they were changing the kits around too much and this year they are ripping off fans by just changing the collar of the shirt.

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We’re covering the big game tonight live, follow the action (and join in on the banter) below:

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Update: No one predicted so few goals in the game, but we had a few close ones! The winner of our December prediction contest is Aniruddha Desai. Congratulations mate, we’ll be contacting you shortly to send over your Umbro Speciali boots!

With Christmas around the corner, Red Rants has teamed up with soccer shoes store SoccerPro to give Red Rants readers the chance to win a pair of Umbro Speciali boots – and all you have to do is predict the correct score for Monday night’s Manchester United v Arsenal game.

Here’s what you need to do:

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