Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville expects his old side to be relishing the challenge of proving their doubters wrong in the forthcoming season.
United were pipped to the Barclays Premier League title by neighbours City on the final day of the season.
With an embarrassing exit from the Champions League group stage and a trophyless end to the season there was an inevitable debate about how good Sir Alex Ferguson's team actually was.
But Neville believes questions about the club's ability to win silverware will only spur on the players.
"You can bet they would have had a frustrating summer after not winning any trophies last season," he told www.manutd.com.
"The beauty of football is that you start afresh each year with a clean slate.
"United now have an opportunity to put things right. The challenge this season is always the same: it's to win the Premier League, do well in the cups and do well in the Champions League.
"That challenge never changes but, obviously, when you don't win anything you have an added incentive because people start to question the team and wonder if the empire is crumbling.
"The manager and the players have had to cope with all that before, so this challenge is something they'll all be looking forward to."
Neville believes that competitiveness will manifest itself as early as pre-season, with the club set to embark on a tour which takes in South Africa, Norway, Sweden, China and Germany.
And that is where the realisation will dawn on new signings Nick Powell and Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa about what they have become a part of.
"You can go back over 20 years and probably count on both hands the number of pre-season games Manchester United have lost," added Neville.
"There's no question players give 100%. The nature of the club, the nature of the players, the nature of the manager is such that you always go out to win.
Read More
"I never saw a United player in my time give anything less than 100% in a football match, whether it was a cup final or a friendly.
"Pre-season tours don't just introduce new players to Manchester United, they introduce Manchester United to new players.
"If a new signing ever wanted to see the scale of the club, in all its might, then a trip to Asia is perfect.
"It's the perfect preparation for eventually walking out at Old Trafford in front of 75,000 people for your home debut.
"If they're not already aware of the size of the club, a trip to Asia will soon sort them out."
