Sheffield United in Portugal: George Baldock on new players and what is 'vitally important'

United have stepped up their pre-season preparations with a week in Lisbon, hiring the Portuguese FA's entire training complex to build up to Friday evening's friendly against Casa Pia at Estádio Pina Manique.

The perfectly-manicured pitches and extensive recovery facilities at the City of Football, in Algés, have been well-used this week. But, as George Baldock told The Star in a sit-down here between training sessions, the benefits can go far beyond the physical.

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"If I was a new player going in to a club, going on tour is perfect timing," the Greek international said.

"There's a lot of free time in between sessions so you can have a game of pool or table tennis, or golf as some of the lads are today.

"But basically it's a good time to bond. If I ever became a manager, it'd be vitally important for me to get those lads on the pre-season tour."

United have welcomed two new faces into their camp while in Portugal, in defender Anel Ahmedhodžić and midfielder Tommy Doyle, although no new faces are expected to arrive before the Blades' first friendly against Casa Pia on Friday evening.

"First and foremost, they're really nice lads," Baldock said of his two newest teammates.

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"They've come in with no egos and want to work. They put themselves out there in terms of their workload, and they've been fantastic.

"You can see the quality as well. Just from the simple things like the way they pass the ball and the way they move.

"Sometimes it's hard to shine in pre-season. Even though, to be fair to the boss and his coaches, the balls have been out a lot.

"But a lot of it is running on tired legs, so it's quite hard.

"But the new lads have really stood out in terms of their attitude and their quality as well."

United have essentially free reign of the Portuguese equivalent of the FA's St. George's Park back in England, although there was one high-profile visitor earlier in the week - when Cristiano Ronaldo visited for a workout session amid speculation over a possible exit from Manchester United.

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"The facilities have been different class, from the pitches to the recovery stuff," Baldock added.

"Everything's there for us to rest and recover for the next session, so it's been brilliant. To have that is huge.

"The manager wants us to play high intensity, pressing football, and it requires a lot of work. A lot of sprinting, which in turn will cause a lot of muscle damage.

"So it's even more important to recover the correct way. It's alright wanting to play like your Liverpools and Man Citys and everything like that, and have aspirations to be the best you can.

"But it's vital to have the tools there. So you can go again and again and again."