Sir Alex Ferguson Has Faith In Manchester United's Young Players

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has affirmed his faith in the youngsters amongst his squad at Old Trafford after the criticism directed their way in the wake of last week's Champions League defeat to Besiktas.

Ferguson fielded a side containing the likes of Gabriel Obertan and Rafael Da Silva, amongst others, for the game, and he has reacted angrily to the negative attention their performance has attracted.

And the United manager reserved special mention for BBC Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen, known for his often scathing assessment of defenders.

"Those lads [Obertan and Rafael] need to be challenged and I thought they did okay," the Scot said, according to Press Association Sport.

"They did not deserve that kind of criticism.

"Those same people will be going cap in hand to them, begging them for interviews in a few years' time, mark my words. It is so hypocritical.

"What is the difference between that and Alan Hansen doing it in front of millions? Yet one gets slaughtered for it and this guy gets off. Wonderful. What a world."
Ferguson seems likely to name a similarly youthful side when United face Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup on Tuesday evening, and he is confident that his players will not let him down.

"I don't need to motivate them with what has been said. Their future is well mapped out," he asserted.

"But the one thing we cannot give them is an old head, which is what we saw in the last third of the pitch last week.

"They got anxious. They created good chances and they hurried the thing. But that is not the biggest crime in the world.

"We are not talking about ability here. We are talking about experience and in that sense is starting to stack up. That is why we have to play them."