Brown Backs Reds Rookies

Ravel Morrison may not have touched the ball but taking to the field was still a feat to behold, according to his captain on the night Wes Brown.

The 17 year-old attacking midfielder replaced Ji-sung Park in injury time, just in time to make his debut as the Reds played out the final moments of the Carling Cup win over Wolves.

"Ravel’s a great player," enthused Brown.

"He’s been training with us, on and off, since the start of the season. I think the gaffer really likes him, he’s very talented and he’ll obviously be delighted to have come on, even if it was for just a couple of minutes and he didn’t touch the ball. He’s a good lad and hopefully he can keep on progressing."

It was also a big night for Bebe - the 20 year-old Portuguese plundered his first goal on the occasion of his first senior start for the Reds.

"Coming to Manchester United is a very different experience for Bebe," said Wes. "But he’s settled in well and he’s training well. Games like this will really help him. He's shown a little bit of what he can do and we know he’s capable of a lot more."

The close-fought victory over Wolves was testament not only to the talent of the young players, believes Brown, but also to the staying power of the entire side, including elder statesmen like his good self.

“I think I was the oldest player in the team by a good few years so I got the armband tonight," said Wes.

"We did well, especially the players who’ve not played many games. We battled hard and although we let a couple of goals in, I thought we kept on going and our determination got us through in the end."

Brown and co will now look forward to Saturday's draw for the Carling Cup quarter-finals. "We really want to win this competition for the third time in a row," he said. "We’re definitely going to try and do it again."

Wes Brown was speaking to MUTV and Sky Sports.