Boss Salutes New Wing Wizard

Sir Alex Ferguson singled out Antonio Valencia for special praise, after the Ecuadorian laid on two goals in an impressive home debut.

The summer signing from Wigan Athletic crossed for Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley to bag the telling goals against Valencia, and generally caught the eye for his robust, direct approach at both ends of the pitch.

“The important thing for me was Valencia’s performance, I thought he was very, very good,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “He’s got great balance and he’s got power and speed. Coming to our club, he’s immediately taken the challenge well and with purpose, so we’re very pleased with what we’ve seen so far.”

While Valencia’s contribution merited special praise, Sir Alex could also reflect on a string of fine performances as his side deservedly edged an entertaining game. A glut of young talents hinted at a bright future, while the Reds’ forward line created chances with promising regularity.

“It was an opportunity to play a lot of the younger players,” he said. “Tom Cleverley scored, Darron Gibson had two fantastic shots from outside the box – he showed his power tonight, which is pleasing – and Ritchie De Laet and Fabio gave excellent performances.

“I also thought Macheda’s movement in the last third was fantastic. For a 17-year-old, he’s something special. Michael (Owen) showed marvellous movement. He should’ve scored four, but he was unlucky with the first one that he just chipped it over the goalkeeper’s shoulder and by the post. He deserved at least one of them."