“If you don’t put them in then you can’t know what you’ve got…if they’re good enough, they’re old enough,” was the message of Sir Matt Busby, a legacy which has continued through to present day. Whilst having experienced players in your squad is important, you should always make room for the development of youngsters.

Sir Alex Ferguson has said he is very impressed with the young players we have coming through at the moment.

“The area I am most encouraged by is the young players,” said Ferguson. “Numbers-wise we have quite a load of them. Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck are developing very well. We also have the Da Silva brothers and we think Darron Gibson is going to be a top player because he has come on fantastically well. Then you have Nani and Anderson who are only 22 and 21.”

Ferguson reckons having the experienced Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville will bring a positive influence to these young players.

“That nucleus of experienced players, who have gone through all that has happened over the years, have so much to pass on,” he added.