"I tried to switch off and relax during the summer, but it was quite hard after what happened in Rome. I'm still trying to get over losing the final, and I don't think I will until I win it again.
"But when you look at the bigger picture, it was a successful campaign. We went to Japan and came back as world champions, won the Carling Cup and went on to win the league for a third time in a row, so we showed how good a team we are.
"Losing like we did in Rome was hard to take, though, and no-one wants to experience that again. It's certainly the worst I've ever felt after a match. It took about a week for any of my family to be able to talk to me properly.
"We've all learnt a lot from what happened and are determined to come back stronger this season. It's the same as always. We're ready to go again.
"That's the beauty of this club, despite all the success, every year you come back and want to achieve more. What's happened has gone, now it's about looking forward and trying to earn it all over again.
"I don't think it can be questioned. The gaffer has assembled a fantastic group, bringing in a great mixture of younger lads and experienced players, and the strength and depth here is second to none.
"Obviously losing Cristiano was disappointing because he's been a huge player for us, but we've got a lot of top players here to deal with that and still be successful."