After leading Manchester United to two decades of success, Sir Alex Ferguson knows a thing or two about developing players – and he insists Aston Villa should stick by their youth.
The two sides clash on Monday at opposite ends of the table, with United just six points away from a 20th league title and Villa teetering above the drop zone in 17th.
But even if they do get relegated, Ferguson is adamant their youngsters will eventually repay Paul Lambert’s faith.
“Young people give you a future by creating a strong blend that can last for a few years,” said Ferguson.
“Young players will always remember the manager who gave them their first start. The team will improve because of that, I am sure of it.
“Paul had the courage to do it and even if they were to go down, Villa have a structure that should bring them right back up.
“But on the evidence of what we’ve seen recently they’ve every chance of staying up anyway.”
The Red Devils have slowed down in their title hunt in recent weeks, losing out in the Manchester derby and being held at West Ham United.
They remain 13 points above City – who have a game in hand – and Ferguson expects nothing less than another tough match against a team battling for their Premier League lives.
“We expect a scrap,” he said. “The least you expect is for a team to fight for everything when they’re down there.
“Villa showed against Stoke that they have a bit of life about them and they should have won their game against Fulham last week.
“When I saw the structure of those teams, they looked really positive selections.
“A lot of teams in that situation may pick a team to get something out of the game. Paul Lambert picked a team to win. There is a distinction.”
Image courtesy of Sky Sports, via YouTube, with thanks.
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