Tom Heaton reacts to being Manchester United captain vs Athletic Bilbao

Manchester United goalkeeper Tom Heaton admitted it was an 'honour' to captain the club in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

United ended their pre-season campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 in Ireland, secured thanks to a last-gasp equaliser from Faucundo Pellistri. The Reds had trailed to Nico Williams' 29th-minute opener.

Manager Erik ten Hag made 11 changes to his starting line-up from the 3-1 win over RC Lens at Old Trafford just over 24 hours earlier, with a mix of youth and experience. The likes of Harry Maguire, Alvaro Fernandez, Dan Gore and Jadon Sancho all started while the absence of Bruno Fernandes, who starred against Lens, meant Ten Hag handed the captain's armband to Heaton.

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"It was a bit of a surprise, I think," Heaton told MUTV. "Temporary custodian for the day, but still a proud moment. It is always an honour to captain United and I certainly enjoyed that today."

Heaton, who is set to hand the gloves back to Andre Onana for the season opener against Wolves at Old Trafford next Monday, turned 37 earlier this year, meaning he is now in the latter stages of his career. But he said he is in great shape ahead of the new campaign.

"If I am totally honest, I feel absolutely brilliant," he said. "It probably helps not having to do the same mileage that the outfielders do.

"But I don't manage training any different to anyone else. That is one of the things for me, despite getting older, for me you still have to go through pain day-in, day-out, and do things properly. If you can't