Tadic braced for tougher Old Trafford test

Old Trafford has proved a happy hunting ground for Southampton of late but midfield maestro Dusan Tadic admits Manchester United are different beasts under Jose Mourinho.

Tadic, who has committed his future to the Saints by signing a fresh four-year contract, has helped his side beat United on their last two visits to Manchester – with the Serbian netting the winner in 2014/15.

But whereas Southampton opened up life under new boss Claude Puel with a low-key draw against Watford last week, their south coast neighbours Bournemouth suffered a 3-1 defeat against United.

Mourinho’s men have boosted their side on paper with the additions of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and world record signing Paul Pogba, who could make his second debut for the club on Friday night.

 (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

But Tadic insists the memories of seasons past can inspire his side to victory – and dampen the mood in the red half of Manchester.

“Always you need to know something about the opponent, but you need always to be focused on yourself most and then everything comes in the right place if you are focused 100 percent on your performance,” said Tadic.

“We know it will be really tough because Man United is much stronger than last year, but we will give our best to get a good result.

“It was really special, because it was my first season and the first time I played at Old Trafford, and also for Southampton in that moment it was really special.

“I remember we have really good support from our supporters and it was a really nice moment. You never can forget these kind of things.”