Tom Cleverley of Manchester United scores the opening goal past Jussi Jaaskelainen of West Ham United during the FA Cup Third Round on January 5, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

The 2013-14 campaign will give all the Manchester United players a chance to prove themselves to new manager David Moyes, however one player in particular that needs to lift his game is Tom Cleverley. At times seemingly a necessity in the side’s midfield, the talented youngster has shown too much inconsistency of late, and as such, is no longer guaranteed a place in the starting line-up.

After a successful loan spell at Wigan in 2010-11, Cleverley came back to Old Trafford a more confident and rounded player, and immediately slotted into the United midfield. However, injury has plagued the 23-year-old over the last 12 months, with recurring knocks preventing him from stinging together a consistent run of games.

With the injuries, Cleverley’s confidence and belief seems to have taken a knock, and he was not the same player for the second half of last season that United fans had remembered. Sir Alex Ferguson no longer looked to the Englishman in the big games, and Cleverley had to spend a lot of time warming the club’s bench.

However, Cleverley has the ability and box-to-box ability to be a mainstay in the United midfield next season should he return to form. Michael Carrick needs a dynamic and energetic partner in the centre of the park, and Cleverley on his day can provide this. With Paul Scholes‘ retirement, Anderson potentially being sold and Darren Fletcher ill, Cleverley has a glorious opportunity to hold down a regular spot in the Premier League champions starting XI.

An injury free pre-season is the first thing that the England international needs, and to impress his new manager in training. Cleverley’s game time next season will certainly be impacted by United’s transfer policy this summer, as the club look to find a long-term replacement for Scholes. However, if Cleverley can get back to his best, Scholes replacement could be closer to home than most think.

David Moyes will have a busy summer ahead as he takes over the reins at Old Trafford. (Getty Images)

Manchester United wrapped up their 20^th top-division title in 2012-13, winning back the crown from cross-town rivals Manchester City. The Red Devils can expect changes ahead of next term, with Sir Alex Ferguson relinquishing his position as manager after 26 years at the helm. With David Moyes taking over and a busy summer in the transfer market expected, how will United look next season?

The Old Trafford outfit finished on 89 points this term, the same total as the season prior. As such, the failings of their title challengers had a part to play in United’s glory.

The season must be deemed as a success given the title win; however there were also a number of disappointments. At one stage a domestic and European treble was on the cards, however elimination from the cup competitions prevented this.

The Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid was of particular note. Although Nani’s sending off in the second leg at Old Trafford played its part, a stronger squad will most likely be needed for the club to be in real European contention once more.

United also threw away a 2-0 lead over Chelsea in the FA Cup to be eliminated, which put a dampener on the campaign. Although the Premier League and Champions League must be the priority, domestic cup competitions hold their right of place also. Home defeats to Chelsea and City in the league, although not playing a part in the title outcome, were not ideal.

This summer a number of new players will be needed for United to compete on all fronts next term, as the club can expect more of a challenge from Chelsea and City. Paul Scholes has announced his retirement, and although the playmaker did not play a lot this season, a long-term replacement has been on the agenda for some time.

A deep-lying playmaker of quality is needed to strengthen the heart of United’s midfield. With question marks over the futures of Anderson and Darren Fletcher due to poor form and illness, a second, combative midfield purchase may not be a bad idea either.

Although the Premier League champions are blessed with top-quality strikers, a new forward has been rumoured as a target for the club this summer. This may well be determined by what happens with Wayne Rooney, who is unsettled at Old Trafford.

Finally, David Moyes may deem that a dominant and commanding central defender is needed. Nemanja Vidic has had his injury concerns this term, while Rio Ferdinand will play fewer games as he gets older.

The club are in a good position after another title win; however summer buys are needed to challenge in Europe and stave off improved domestic rivals next season.

Manchester United striker Angelo Henriquez has completed his 6-month loan move to Wigan could make his debut on Saturday as the Latics take on Bournemouth in the FA Cup third round.

The Chilean international has outlined a desire to impress his temporary manager Roberto Martinez and hopes to thrive under the Spaniard’s progressive, attack-minded philosophy.

“I’m hoping to get first-team appearances in the Premier League and coming to Wigan will be a very good way to do that, particularly with the style that the gaffer has got the team playing in,” Henriquez told Wigan’s official website.

“Coming to the club is a very big opportunity for me and I am very grateful to Roberto Martinez because he has had the faith in what he has seen from me to bring me here.

“My job on the pitch is to score goals for the team and hopefully I can give the Wigan Athletic fans some good memories while I am here. I am available to play in the FA Cup against Bournemouth and I have been training hard to get my chance as soon as possible, I’m really excited to get going.”

Martinez, who has signed Henriquez to bolster his depleted forward line, says it is important for his new acquisition to acclimatise quickly.

“The fans will have the chance [in the FA Cup tie] to enjoy seeing the work we’ve been doing behind the scenes in helping our young players develop and see the potential they have,” the Spaniard told. “As well as that it will also be a chance for them to welcome new faces to the club, such as Angelo Henriquez and Roger Espinoza.

“It’s an important moment for them to be involved in the match preparation, the matchday environment and ensure that they adapt to our football club very quickly.

“Ideally both players would have more time to prepare and get used to their new team-mates, but they’re so desperate to play and at some stage we hope to see them on the pitch.”

Henriquez joined United from Universidad de Chile in September, bringing with him a reputation for lethal finishing, and has since scored on his senior international debut during a friendly against Serbia.

The teenager will wear the number 11 jersey at Wigan and help to fill the gap vacated by Arouna Kone, who is representing Ivory Coast at this month’s Africa Cup of Nations.

December is always an interesting month in the footballing calendar; often disrupted by frozen and snowy pitches, it’s the busiest time of the football year with fixtures coming thick and fast at the end of the month. In the past, the consistent matches have worked in favour of United and normally see United get some real momentum going into the New Year. With any form of real momentum proving hard to find so far this season, Ferguson feels that the upcoming Christmas period will be vital this season.

Speaking inside the new issue of InsideUnited that’s out on Wednesday night ahead of the Cluj game, Ferguson said “It’s generally a good month for us. We usually get ourselves to the New Year in a challenging position, and that’s where you want to be. When you have the second half of the season in front of you, you know full well that pressure can affect everyone, there’s no question about that. We tend to do not too badly.

Ferguson noted the hard start to the month, with the Manchester derby on Sunday, but said after that it’s not too bad at all. “The start of the month, with City away, is a hard one” he said. “But then we’ve got Sunderland, Reading, Swansea, West Brom – we’ve got a reasonable programme, so we should be expected to gather some points there.” With so many fixtures in a short period of time, Ferguson feels rotation is key and admitted he’ll sit down with Mike Phelan and Rene Meulensteen to decide what to do.

Similarly to last season, so far this term United have been hit hard with a succession of annoying injuries to key players. Although there’s no reason to believe our long history of bad injuries is going to improve, Ferguson says he’s happy to have got some key players back in time for the busy period. “We’ve managed Rio Ferdinand very well. Rio is doing a lot of work throughout the week to get himself ready for games. If we can keep Chris Smalling and Phil Jones fit along with Rio and Jonny Evans – we’ll see how Nemanja Vidic gets on – we’ll have a far better chance.”

Reds alike have been delighted with the magnificent start right-back Rafael Da Silva has made this season. Consistent, a real threat going forward, and solid defensively – there’s no doubting that this has been Rafael’s best spell as a United player. Here’s what a few people from around the club said about him after the game against West Ham on Wednesday night, arguably his best defensive performance for United.

He’s made mistakes in the past, but he’s maturing and learning from them.

Sir Alex Ferguson

He has progressed every year he has been here. He came across at a very young age and it was a big change from Brazil and what he was used to. Every season he has got better and better. He has played nearly every game this season and has been terrific. There is still more to come from him, he is still learning the game and is still improving, so it is great for him and he is having a good time.

Michael Carrick

With his energy, he really sets the tone for the rest of the players. He’s a credit to himself. People might have thought it would be tough for him with his brother going away but he’s got his head down, he’s working hard and he’s going to be one of the best right-backs in the world, no doubt about that.

Jonny Evans

Yesterday David De Gea was praised by ex-United ‘keeper Peter Schmeichel for showing a strong mind, but today De Gea has admitted that he feels the extra pressure of playing at such a big club like United. De Gea is in his second season at the club and, like the end of last season, has been largely impressive when he’s been on the pitch.

Speaking to United Review, United’s match-day programme, De Gea said “I’m at a huge club and there are big demands on you. As a goalkeeper I’m well aware that any mistake can be magnified by the press and the fans. That’s always the case for goalkeepers, no matter where you play. But it’s true that here at Manchester United there’s added pressure. It’s bigger than it was for me at Atletico Madrid and also for the Spain Under-21 team. It’s a challenge that’s enjoyable and it ensures you’re always striving to operate at 100 per cent.

One of the biggest challenges for De Gea was to adapt to the different nature of the English game in regards to crosses. English teams tend to cross the ball a lot more than teams on the continent, and also tend to be more physical when challenging in the air against goalkeepers. With Spanish goalkeepers brought-up to punch the ball, getting used to catching crosses when he’s being pushed off the ball has been a problem for De Gea that he’s just beginning to iron out now.

Elsewhere though, De Gea admits that he loves United’s never-say-die attitude and says it’s great to be part of the team. “I have been surprised,” said the 22-year old. “Certainly, when I was in Spain I’d heard about this aspect and seen for myself on TV the way the team always seemed to conjure up a late goal to either draw or win matches. So it’s great to be a part of it myself. I think dramatic comebacks are part of the heart and soul of this club and it’s almost written in the history of Manchester United that these sorts of things happen so often. I love being a part of it and experiencing it for myself.”

The news that Anders Lindegaard had been selected ahead of David De Gea at weekend was met with much frustration around the ground. Lindegaard had played in midweek with a weak United eleven against Galatasaray, but starting the second game in a row signalled that Ferguson was back to his terrible ways of tinkering with the goalkeepers.

After admitting earlier in the season that he was happy rotating goalkeepers, many were relieved when he seemingly went against his word and started David De Gea for a string of matches; the decision paying off with a run of impressive performances from the Spaniard. We’ve seen in the past, both at the club and away from it, that rotating goalkeepers simply doesn’t work and the fact Ferguson seems oblivious to this fact is a big worry for me.

While the whole Lindegaard versus De Gea debate is a whole different story, De Gea easily comes out on top. My personal opinion, one that’s shared by many, is that one ‘keeper should be chosen and we need to stick with him. With De Gea being the younger but just as good as Lindegaard, his potential to improve means it has to be him. Even with Fergie sticking by his decision to rotate the ‘keepers, despite it having clear links with our leaky defence this season, at least our greatest goalkeeper ever is propping up De Gea..

Peter Schmeichel has told the Manchester Evening News that he ‘admires’ David De Gea and it could well be that the former Danish Red, now part of United’s ambassadorial team, is dropping a subtle hint to Sir Alex that he thinks De Gea should be his main focus in goal. Schmeichel added “I cannot remember anyone coming into Manchester United and being criticised the way he was criticised. He was ridiculed every day.”

“He was the subject of every debate in the media,” he continued “Every programme possible was talking about him and debating the situation. Yet he still went out there with a smile on his face.” This is not the first time Schmeichel has spoken about United’s current set of goalkeepers. The Dane ciriticised United’s move for Anders Lindegaard back in 2010, saying he “didn’t believe it for a minute,” citing that Lindegaard wasn’t of the “very best quality that’s needed at United.”

This makes it interesting to see that Schmeichel has forcefully said that De Gea has the qualities to become a United number 1, stating “There is no doubt in my mind that this fella has a strong mind and to play for Manchester United you need a strong mind.” I certainly don’t think that Lindegaard is a bad option in goal, but I think it’s clear to see that De Gea tops him.

Although we normally trust Ferguson’s judgement, he has his fair share of nightmares with goalkeepers in the past and this is one of the times where you can’t help but think he’s wrong. Lets hope that Schmeichel’s influence makes a difference – it probably won’t.

On the 20th anniversary of Eric Cantona’s arrival at United, Sir Alex has drawn comparisons between the signing of Eric back in 1992 and the signing of Robin Van Persie this summer. It’s clear to see that Van Persie’s impact has been significant, but seeing the Dutchman have as much of an effect as Cantona would certainly be a joy to behold and a shock. Cantona changed the way we played, changed the mentality of the club, and sparked the most successful period our club has ever seen. Unfortunately, we’ll never have anybody quite like Cantona again, but Sir Alex still reminisces of the day we signed ‘the King.’

Recalling the time when Sir Alex asked Leeds about Cantona’s availability, he said “Well, Leeds’ Bill Fotherby phoned up looking for Denis Irwin and that’s a perfect example of how things were done in those days. I was in the office with Martin Edwards when he phoned and I scribbled on Martin’s page ‘Cantona’ so he says: ‘What about Cantona? Is he available?’ There was silence from Fotherby for a minute or two and then he said: ‘He could be’. An hour later, he phoned back and said: ‘Yes but we want 900,000 pounds’. You don’t get them any more!”

ISTANBUL, TURKEY – NOVEMBER 20: Anderson of Manchester United battles with Nordin Amrabat of Galatasary during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Galatasaray and Manchester United at the Turk Telekom Arena on November 20, 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey.

For the majority of Saturday’s game, we produced the worst football that we’ve played the whole season. As usual, it looked like it would take the shock of going behind to kick us into action, and even when Jamie Mackie’s header was ruled offside, we didn’t really engage our brains. Minutes into the second half, Mackie had the ball in the net, this time legally, but we still didn’t get into our stride. Things were certainly looking bleak and we had no creativity, but thankfully Anderson changed the game with his introduction alongside Chicharito.

Anderson’s had an up and down career at United; some brief glimpses of the excellent player he can be have been overlooked behind injuries, pies and general inconsistency. While I, along with many other Reds, questioned whether he was a valuable member team to our squad this year, he’s proved us all wrong when he’s had a chance to play. At half time on Saturday, a season ticket holding Red who sits near to me was telling me how Anderson would change the game. He claimed we had a bunch of midfielders who just go “side to side” and that Anderson was the only player who got the ball and ran forward with it, driving the play up the pitch.

In fairness to him, he’s got a point that Anderson penetrates the opposition like no other midfielders in our team can do, but I had doubts that Anderson, being as inconsistent as he is, was the type of player to bring on to change what had been a dire game. Of course he ended up being correct: Anderson essentially won the game for us, and he was certainly keen to let all the people around me know how right he was. While Anderson’s chances so far this season have, like in previous years, been limited – it’s nice to see Anderson go on another little run of good form.

But the challenge for the Brazilian now is keeping up these high standards. Speaking to MUTV, Sir Alex confirmed that his performance means “he picks himself on Wednesday,” and now is the perfect time for the number 8 to finally achieve his full potential. Time and time again we’ve seen little pockets of brilliance from Anderson, but as of yet, he’s failed to perform to an acceptable standard over a considerably long period of time. Whether or not this is the time where Anderson finally bucks his ideas up, time will tell.

With Fergie claiming that “Ando won the game for us” at the weekend, adding “His performance was outstanding,” it’s clear to see that he’s trying to inject an amount of confidence into the central midfielder that will see him perform to the best of his ability. Many said that this has to be the last season for Anderson to show what he can do, and this may well be Ferguson’s plea for him to do so before the January transfer market opens. Interestingly, we’ve had rumours in the last week over talks between United and PSV for Kevin Strootman, and Inter’s Wesley Sneijder is apparently back on the market, so it might be (and please excuse the cliche) ‘do or die’ for Anderson. We’ve seen it all before, but this time it might just be different. Lets hope so.

After losing the title last season on goal difference, Sir Alex vowed at the start of this season such a thing would never happen again. Whilst our ‘goals for’ column this season is looking rather healthy, the ‘goals against’ column is looking pretty weak when compared to previous seasons.

The additions of Shinji Kagawa and certainly, Robin van Persie, have thus far proved successful in boosting the goal scoring, but injuries to experienced defenders have ensured that the defence has remained leaky. Saturday’s 3-1 win against QPR saw us concede first for the 12^th time in 20 games this season. Call me spoilt but that’s not good enough.

Whilst we again recovered to win, it is a bad habit to be getting into. All we need is one more Norwich-type game where we concede first and end up losing – 4 losses at this early stage in the season certainly wouldn’t read well. With a big away game at the blue noses next month, we can ill afford a slip up there, where we would be punished by their world class strike force and equally talented midfield.

Goal scoring will never be a problem at United. With van Persie, Rooney and Hernandez upfront being supported by the likes of Nani and Valencia (I haven’t even mentioned Danny Welbeck), I can’t see a problem with us scoring. A lot has been made of how the goals have been shared out this season between all types of players; Jonny Evans (3), Rafael (2) and Patrice Evra (2) have all got more than one goal despite playing at the back.

While the fact we’re conceding too many is a worry, it’s even more concerning considering how many of these goals are happening within the 15 minute after half time. That time, for me, is when the team should be most alert, having probably just had a 15 minute hair dryer treatment from the manager given the way we’ve played in the first half of most of games so far this season.

Whilst it is a concerning trait to have at the minute, at least we have been the first to take the lead in our biggest games to date. We took the lead at both Newcastle and Chelsea, as well as Arsenal at home, so it seems to me that we can turn it on when it really matters. It’s felt by many United fans that big games are less nerve-wracking before we tend to turn up, while smaller clubs that play a more direct style normally seem to cause us problems.

Let’s just hope that, come the 9^th December, we’ve stopped leaking goals early, because the Etihad is a fortress at the best of times, and I wouldn’t fancy our chances having to chase a game there.

The initial loan deal will see King play in the Championship until January, and if it proves to be successful then I assume the deal will be extended until the end of the season. With Federico Macheda expected to leave in January I imagine that, if King continues his progress until next season, then come the start of the next season he might be one of a few youngsters like Will Keane who will be pressing for a place in the first team.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY – NOVEMBER 20: Darren Fletcher of Manchester United battles with Selcuk Inan of Galatasary during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Galatasaray and Manchester United at the Turk Telekom Arena on November 20, 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

With United taking their confirmed place in this seasons Champions League knock-out stage to Galatasaray, United sent a second string side to face the Turkish champions, knowing that regardless of the results of their next two Champions League matches, they’d go through as group winners. The pre-match atmosphere was just as good as the media hype made it out to be, with Galatasaray fans chanting ‘Welcome to Hell’ to help intimidate our players and fans. As was made predictable by the inexperienced squad of players that he brought over, a relatively young side consisting of Jones, Büttner and Powell started alongside the likes of Darren Fletcher, who is still in the process of returning properly from his illness.

The first half started well, with United creating chances and doing a sterling job of calming the intense atmosphere. Yet, despite a few good opportunities, notably a Nick Powell header that hit the bar, nobody could find the net. Galatasaray’s Semih Kaye was lucky to stay on the pitch after going in hard on Tom Cleverley, while Riera and Amrabat’s partnership caused problems for the young Rafael, with most of Galatasary’s attack came from the left flank. Elsewhere, another of Galatasaray’s players, Felipe Melo, was also lucky not to have been sent off after committing two rash challenges that would’ve both merited a red card in England. The first half ended with United on top, but with no lead to show for it.

The second half saw a significant switch in momentum. The rash Felipe Melo released a strong header straight at Lindegaard, forcing the Dane to make a marvellous reflex save. The resulting corner from Altinop was met by Yilmaz, who out muscled Darren Fletcher and Nick Powell in the process, with the ball landing into the net off his head via the post. The Turkish fans went wild, and although United responded, they never really put too much pressure on Galatasaray’s goal. The next best chance of the game came to Galatasaray, with Altinop firing a venomous shot that was tipped excellently onto the bar by Lindegaard. The game ended 1-0, but the hostile and energetic atmosphere undoubtedly helped the young players grow. We saw what an effect such a night had on the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Neville and Beckham back in 1993, and hopefully these young players will head down the exact same route.

While Sir Alex Ferguson is renowned for his mind games with opposition managers, little is said of the man-management skills that has made him so succesful over the years. Brendan Rodgers was slated a few weeks back for copying a technique used by Ferguson when he was new to the club, where the manager writes down players who he’ll think will let them down over the upcoming season and puts it in an envelope.

The idea is, at the end of the season, the manager reviews his selections and sees how correct his predictions were; with the incentive for the players being to make sure they’re not the one to let the team down. Ferguson admitted that this was just a trick on his players and no such envelope existed, while the TV documentary Being Liverpool revealed that the envelopes were actually real in Rodgers’ case.

Normally these techniques are used during the end of the season when the title run-in begins, as Ferguson calls it – “squeaky bum time.” But Rio Ferdinand has revealed that, ahead of the Newcastle match last month, Ferguson deliberately showed the players the table to put emphasis on his point that United must improve. United started the season with early losses against Everton and Tottenham and Ferguson was evidently unhappy.

“Before kick-off, the manager showed us the league table to emphasise that point and it didn’t make pretty reading,” he said. “I don’t really look at the league table until Christmas normally. When we all saw it that day, it hit home. We thought, ‘Wow, we need to shake ourselves up.’ Thankfully, it turned out to be a good day for us. Sometimes things just click into place and we just felt very secure in that game and it felt very much like the Manchester United of old, from a couple of years ago.

“Up until the game against Newcastle, we’d been a bit open and playing in that way of ‘We attack, you attack’. This league is unforgiving in that sense. If you’re not on your game in all areas you’ll get punished. But I think the performance against Newcastle signalled a bit of a change in mentality from us and hopefully that’s a taste of things to come for the rest of the season.” As Ferdinand suggests, players rarely see the league table early on to refrain from over-confidence and arrogance but this time Ferguson’s plan certainly gave the players the kick into action they required.

Rafael has admitted that he misses his twin brother Fabio, but says the two being apart has seen a growth in his maturity levels. The two full-backs have grown up together playing football from the age of 11, when they were both spotted by Brazilian side Fluminense – and with Fabio on loan at QPR this season, it’s the first time they’ve ever been apart for a substantial period of time. While Fabio’s been struggling with injuries at QPR, Rafael has been impressing at Old Trafford, and has consistently shown how he’s capable of being our first choice right-back.

Speaking to MUTV‘s Inside Carrington programme, Rafael admitted that being without his brother is strange but he thinks that both of them have benefited from it. “It’s not strange but it’s different,” he said. “We’re close and I was always together with him but it’s been good for us, just to become more mature. I used to ask him all the time if I needed something but now I need more of my own mind so I’ve grown more mature. It’s bad because I miss him but it’s good to learn more.”

The exact effect that splitting the twins up has had on Rafael is obviously unknown, but there’s no doubting that his performances for United have improved, something that’s probably down to the consistent playing time that Rafael has been given so far this season. While we’ve seen the best of Rafael and witnessed the potential that could see him become an important player in the club’s future, Fabio is seemingly a few years behind Rafael, and hopefully the loan deal will help bring out the best in him too.

Rafael claims that his conversations over the phone with Fabio has helped both of them, using the time to critique each other’s games. “Of course – we often speak,” he stated. “He is always calling me back to say something is not good about my game! It’s always been like this. He is back in training now and maybe, when he plays again, we’ll keep doing this.” The Brazilian twins certainly inject a bit of energy into United and, if all goes well with Fabio’s development and Rafael continues his current vein of form, then both of them will be able to plan a long-term future in Manchester.

I’ve lost count of the many times I’ve heard people say that Rio Ferdinand is past it. From his 8-month suspension after missing a drugs test, to the countless injuries that have knocked him down over the years, there’s been many a moment where people have suggested Rio might be past it. Even as a fan of Rio I’ve had moments where I thought he was up against it, but time and time again he’s proved his critics wrong and has countlessly come back stronger than before.

It’s not unfair to say that Rio’s not the player he used to be, age has taken its toll on his game, and he’s certainly not as fast as he used to be, but being such an intelligent footballer, Rio finds his way around these problems. There’s the odd occasion where Rio is left for dust, such as the match against Tottenham a few weeks back, but on the whole, he’s continued to be a vital cog in the machine. It’s important to remember just how vital Ferdinand was last season when partnered with the equally impressive Jonny Evans.

A few years ago, if you asked a United fan who he’d rather rid of out of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, then I’d say at least 75% would’ve got rid of Rio. A few years down the line and it might be a different story; although Nemanja is younger, he’s been more injury prone over the years, and with talk of a lucrative offer from Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala, some would be keen to take the money and run. I still think Vidic would come out on top of the hypothetical battle, but I imagine his lead wouldn’t be anywhere near as convincing.

A perfect sign of Ferdinand’s importance to us is Ferguson’s desire to extend Rio’s contract, which finishes at the end of this season, for an extra year as soon as possible, despite having many good youth prospects in the likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and so on. While Ferdinand has thanked Sir Alex for his comments and said it always gives him a boost, he is seemingly keen to keep his options open.

In response to Ferguson’s comments about extending Rio’s contract, Ferdinand said, “It’s always good to hear the manager say things like that but you have to take every week and month as it comes.The best thing I can do is to look at it at Christmas, and then again in the summer to see how I’m feeling and go from there. But hearing the manager say things like that definitely puts the spring back in your step.

He added “I’ll have a better idea of that in December or January time when the games start coming thick and fast. That is when it really hits you and you know the hard work really has to start. I’ll probably get a better gauge of where I’m at fitness wise and the benefit of having the summer off then.”

Regardless of his advancing years, you’d imagine that Sir Alex will go some way in keeping Rio at the club. The future of Nemanja Vidic looks uncertain with his current knee injury, a growing concern for United fans as his return date keeps getting put back, and while we have good youngsters both in and out of the first team, for a lot of them, they’re a few years off being ready for the Premier League.

The problem is, at Rio’s age, United would rather look at giving him a shorter deal because his ability to continue playing football for the next 2/3 years isn’t guaranteed; while Rio’s aim would be quite the opposite. Regardless of his ability to play, the importance of having experienced players around the club for youngsters is unprecedented, and Rio would still have a role of high importance at the end of a 2 year contract extension – similar to that of Gary Neville a few years ago.

Back in August, Jesse Lingard’s impressive performances during the pre-season tour caught the eye of many United fans – with the highly-rated youngster showing his future potential. Lingard again looked impressive in the Carling Cup victory against Newcastle United, and his good form led to interest from numerous Championship clubs looking to strike a loan deal for the midfielder.

Last week saw Lingard complete a month-long loan deal with Leicester City, a move that will see the Warrington-born youngster gain some first-team experience. Presumably the deal will be extended further if the first month is successful, but despite his promising start to first-team at football, Lingard has much more ambitious aims.

After impressing in Leicester’s 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest over the weekend, Lingard revealed that he wants to follow in the footsteps of United teammate Tom Cleverley, who is the latest academy player to make the break into United’s midfield. Coincidentally, Cleverley also spent some time on loan at Leicester City a few years ago, and Lingard has drawn more than one comparison with the English midfielder.

Lingard told the Leicester Mercury “I look at Tom Cleverley and what he has achieved, becoming part of the United first team, and he had his first loan move to Leicester. He stepped up and it would be good to follow in his footsteps. He is someone to look up to because when he was younger, he was one of the small guys, like me. He didn’t get much playing time in the youth team but he went out on loan, stuck at it and worked hard, and that is what I want to do.”

United face Aston Villa at Villa Park tomorrow evening, and Sir Alex confirmed that while Nani will miss the match with injury, he hopes that Jonny Evans will be available. “We’re hoping Evans will be okay for Saturday,” Sir Alex said in his press conference this morning. “He’s a doubt, although not a serious one. Nani is out with a tight hamstring and that will be around 10 days but he should be okay. It’s not torn, just tight.

He added “We’re monitoring the situation with Jonny, if he doesn’t make it then Chris will have to play. It’s asking a lot for him to play Wednesday and then Saturday when he’s just come back. The great thing is that he’s back and there are no issues with him at all. He did very well on Wednesday – we were pleased with that.”

Ferguson also stated that he’s ready to take a strong squad, despite our excellent record at Villa Park, saying “Although we have a great record at Villa Park we never take them for granted.”

After last season’s humiliating display in Europe, United simply needed 3 points against the Portuguese side SC Braga to put that embarrassment in the past and become the first club to progress to the knockout stages. On the pitch, United were sub-par – misplacing passes, putting shots wide, and guilty of sloppy defending on more than one occasion. However, despite all their mistakes, United worked hard up until the final whistle and managed to pull off a convincing late comeback. The win confirms our place in the round of 16 and also sees us win the group, a different story from last season.

A strong line-up saw an interesting shape; Wayne Rooney playing as a central midfielder, Antonio Valencia playing as a right back, and Danny Welbeck slotted over to the left wing. Braga countered our wide shape by penetrating through the middle – they caught Evans on the break a few times, and the easiest chance of them all would’ve seen Braga go one up if it wasn’t messed up dramatically. Braga continued to outplay United in the first half, and had another good chance through Eder, who hit the post.

United started the second half like they finished the first; badly. Custodio burst into the box and was taken down by Jonny Evans, and to the delight of Braga fans, they were awarded a penalty. Admittedly harsh, given there was little Evans could do to get out of the way. Alan, who scored twice against us in the previous game, stepped up to take the penalty and smashed it past De Gea. After a small 10-minute break after floodlight failure, United upped the tempo and finally got an equalising goal in the 80^th minute. The ball was played to van Persie, who saw the keeper off his line, and skilfully chipped the ball into the back of the net.

Just minutes after, Ryan Giggs played a beautiful long ball into the path of Hernandez, who slipped and missed his chance. Rooney was then brought down, coming in for the rebound and earning United a penalty in the dying minutes of the game. Rooney stepped up to take it, and given his recent record with missing penalties, most fans were worried. Rooney calmly smashed the ball in to make it 2-1 to United, despite evidence of a small slip before striking the ball. United completed the undeservedly convincing win in the 5th minute of added time, when Hernandez placed the ball in the top of the net after fluffing a previously good chance.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 31: Michael Keane of Manchester United in action during the Capital One Cup Fourth Round match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on October 31, 2012 in London, England.

After being knocked out of the Carling Cup last week, today has seen a number of Manchester United youngsters move to Championship clubs for first-team experience. Robbie Brady, Michael Keane and Jesse Lingard, who are all considered prospects for the future, are just the latest of a few United youngsters who are currently on loan at other clubs.

Brady joins Hull City, where he spent a year on loan at last year, while Keane and Lingard both travel to Leicester City with whom Tom Cleverley had a loan spell a few years back. Brady, who has recently featured in Ireland’s senior national team, has impressed Ferguson, but is unlikely to get too many opportunities at United at his current age. The youngster signed the one-month deal early enough today to feature in City’s match tonight against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The same applies for Keane and Lingard, who are likely to be in Leicester City’s squad to face Bolton Wanderers. Speaking of the deal, Leicester manager Nigel Pearson said:

“We have been operating with a smaller, more balanced squad this season, but we felt the time was right to increase the options available to us. Not only do Michael and Jesse add a great deal of quality to the group, they are also the type of hungry young players that will fit in well with what is already a very strong squad.”

Ole Gunner Solskjær has admitted that his dream would be to return to Manchester United in the form of a manager, but has said that he’s not taking anything for granted after his successful start to the world of football management. With just two games to go, Solskjaer’s Molde team are top of the league once again, and look set to win back-to-back championships. The ex-United striker said his long-term goal is to manage in England, with a view to someday possibly landing the United job.

He said: “I’m not naive enough to say I can do that job, but in life you should have big dreams and big goals,” he said. “It’s a dream but let’s take just one step at a time. I want to become a manager in England. At the moment I’ve just started and it’s been two years more or less in Norway. So the time will come. I’ve spoken to clubs and explained it’s a bit early as I want to learn and don’t want to jump too big a bridge at the start. Managing is not easy but it’s very enjoyable when you are winning, it’s challenging when you have a bad start.”

While there’s no doubting that Solskjaer is currently too inexperienced to take the United job, it’s clear that the potential is there. Molde had never won the Norwegian premier league title prior to Solskjær’s arrival, and now they’re set to win two on the trot. While it’s important to note that it’s a completely different ball game in England, you’d expect that given time, Ole could make the transition just as easily as he did as a player back in the 90′s.

With Sir Alex Ferguson looking to call it a day on his marvellously long United career in the next year or two, you’d expect it would be too early for the Norwegian to take over the helms at United directly from Ferguson. However, if his remarkable career in management continues, then I doubt many Reds would be too surprised to see Solskjær takeover leadership of United in the future – whether that be in 5 years or 20. I certainly know I wouldn’t be overly shocked.