Manchester United Dugout

Manchester United skipper Gary Neville has appreciated the young Red Devils and believes they are competent enough to start in the Premier League. The veteran voiced his views after United knocked out Spurs from the Carling Cup at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson had fielded a less experienced side to what he normally does in the tournament, signaling a possible new era of Fergies Fledglings. The surprising Champions League defeat to Besiktas last week saw some pundits criticizing Fergie's fledglings for their lethargic performance. But Fergie kept faith in his youngsters and they paid it back when Darren Gibson scored twice to ensure progression for United.

Gary Neville paid tribute to his team’s youngsters after watching a resilient performance in the Carling Cup tie at Old Trafford. The veteran believes that this current crop has what it takes to make a mark in the Premier League. He said, "I don't think they're younger players, they're playing for their countries. They deserve to be there by right. They are Premier League players of that quality, they are obviously developing."

It will be interesting to see whether the current group of Fergies Fledglings is able to emulate the success of their seniors. The current crop of players include Darren Gibson, Danny Welbeck, Gabriel Obertan and Ritchie de Laet. Their seniors and probably the best ever Fergies Fledglings included Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers.

Darren Gibson scored two goals to help Manchester United book a semi final spot in the Carling Cup at the expense of Tottenham Hotspurs. The game played at Old Trafford last night looked lethargic until Gibson scored and then went on to score a second one to ensure victory for the Red Devils.

This game looked like a re-match of last year's Carling Cup final as United and Spurs battled it out for progression to the next stage. Sir Alex Ferguson fielded nearly the same side which lost to Besiktas last week. I am sure he must have been a happy man to see his youngsters taste victory this time around.

Spurs had fielded a stronger team than United but still they could not pose a threat to the home team. Darren Gibson along with Anderson commanded the center of the park and did not allow Spurs to move beyond. Both these midfielders were awesome with their performances and received praise from their manager.

Fergie praised Darren Gibson by saying, "Gibson did very well. His second goal, in particular, was fantastic. He’s the one player now at our club who can get a goal from outside the box. He has tremendous power in his shooting."

The 16th-minute opener from Gibson was a blistering 25-yard finish from Anderson's square ball. His second was pure teamwork as Park Ji-sung and Dimitar Berbatov started a flowing move that ended with Gibson playing a one-two with Danny Welbeck before curling brilliantly into the top corner.

Manchester United are two games away from Wembley and Sir Alex Ferguson has promised that he will field a similar team in the semi-finals, irrespective of their opposition. Fergie wants to provide more opportunities to youngsters and has claimed that the likes of Darren Gibson, Danny Welbeck, Gabriel Obertan and Ritchie de Laet will now be responsible for defending the Carling Cup successfully.