Ferguson Praises United Youngsters

Due to international competitions and injuries, Ferguson had very few first-team players to pick in his squad so had to depend on the youth of United.

Young defenders Paul McShane, Jon Spector and Phil Bardsley were all involved, so too were forgotten wingers Luke Chadwick and Bojan Djordic.

"It is hard for American people to understand the culture of Manchester United." said Ferguson, after getting blasted by the American press for not taking the tour seriously.

"We do play young players, we have a great history and culture of playing young players."

"This was an opportunity for them to prove what they are worth and give them the incentive to push on. The young players who played in America have not done themselves any harm."

The Red Devils started and ended the tour with penalty shoot-out defeats to Bayern Munich and AC Milan respectively with a 2-1 loss to Celtic midway through.