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GABRIEL OBERTAN admits he is shocked at his sudden move to Manchester United.
France Under-21 winger Obertan has signed a four-year contract at Old Trafford after leaving Bordeaux in a £6million deal.
But he ended last season on loan to lowly Ligue1 side Lorient, where he scored one goal in 15 appearances and made only six starts.
Yet he was named the most valuable player at the Toulon youth tournament last month.
That prompted United boss Alex Ferguson to move in and increase his attacking options following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.
And Obertan cannot believe he has sealed a dream switch to the Premier League champions.
He said: "I knew United had been following me for a few years but I did not think it was going to happen this season.
"We had no longer been in too much contact until the England Under-21s game, when I played well for France and scored a goal.
"That helped things along. We spoke again and I ended up signing. Sir Alex has put me at ease.
"He said to me that he knows my pros and cons — it's my potential that interests him. He has confidence in me, which is flattering and surprising after my average season last year.
"But I know I still have a lot of work to do to get to Ronaldo's level."
However, Lorient coach Christian Gourcuff is not convinced Obertan will be a success at United.
Gourcuff said: "He certainly has some talent but also some gaps in his game. I hope he will succeed but he will have to make the step up mentally."
Obertan will sit out United's tour of Asia because he has a minor injury. The club head off next week and play their opening match on July 18 against a Malaysia XI.
Three other matches have been scheduled in Indonesia, Korea and China.
Rio Ferdinand believes it will be ideal preparation for the new campaign. He said: "The important thing about pre-season is getting some good training done.
"One of the main reasons we have been successful in the last few years is because we've had a good base from pre-season.
"It takes a bit of time to get used to the humid conditions in Asia but it is a good exercise to play against teams that pose different threats."
France Under-21 winger Obertan has signed a four-year contract at Old Trafford after leaving Bordeaux in a £6million deal.
But he ended last season on loan to lowly Ligue1 side Lorient, where he scored one goal in 15 appearances and made only six starts.
Yet he was named the most valuable player at the Toulon youth tournament last month.
That prompted United boss Alex Ferguson to move in and increase his attacking options following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.
And Obertan cannot believe he has sealed a dream switch to the Premier League champions.
He said: "I knew United had been following me for a few years but I did not think it was going to happen this season.
"We had no longer been in too much contact until the England Under-21s game, when I played well for France and scored a goal.
"That helped things along. We spoke again and I ended up signing. Sir Alex has put me at ease.
"He said to me that he knows my pros and cons — it's my potential that interests him. He has confidence in me, which is flattering and surprising after my average season last year.
"But I know I still have a lot of work to do to get to Ronaldo's level."
However, Lorient coach Christian Gourcuff is not convinced Obertan will be a success at United.
Gourcuff said: "He certainly has some talent but also some gaps in his game. I hope he will succeed but he will have to make the step up mentally."
Obertan will sit out United's tour of Asia because he has a minor injury. The club head off next week and play their opening match on July 18 against a Malaysia XI.
Three other matches have been scheduled in Indonesia, Korea and China.
Rio Ferdinand believes it will be ideal preparation for the new campaign. He said: "The important thing about pre-season is getting some good training done.
"One of the main reasons we have been successful in the last few years is because we've had a good base from pre-season.
"It takes a bit of time to get used to the humid conditions in Asia but it is a good exercise to play against teams that pose different threats."