Jeff Stelling: Football Doesn't Feel Sorry For Manchester United's Defensive Woes

A lot of managers get criticised for making so many changes to their sides for the Capital One Cup, particularly Premier League ones.

But the one great thing is that it gives you the chance to see some of the unheralded kids, and so many of them took their opportunities this week.

From Jordan Rossiter, who scored for Liverpool, to Jordan Williams, who came on for the Reds and had the bottle to take a penalty in that epic shoot-out against Middlesbrough.

Then there was Adam Armstrong at Newcastle and Ryan Mason at Spurs, who really grasped his chance with a fantastic goal - it's great for these players to get their chance in the spotlight and show they can do it.

Now, I challenge those Premier League managers to put them again this weekend - even if they don’t start them, make sure they’re involved.

They’ve taken a step along the road, now let’s encourage them to take a few more steps. Let’s just not discard them back in to the obscurity of the Under-21 team or the reserves.

I thought Mason was very eloquent when interviewed after Tottenham’s win over Nottingham Forest.

He’s 23-years-old, so he’s not a kid, but he’s never had that chance with Spurs. He said he felt he deserved to be further up the pecking order and now he’s shown what he can do.

Of course, it’s going to be a big weekend for one young kid in particular, because Paddy McNair could start for Manchester United against West Ham, which is absolutely brilliant.

But I just wish that Louis van Gaal had included him, sang his praises and said how much confidence he’s got in him, not said: ‘We haven’t got any defenders, we’ve got nine players injured’.

For me, this would have been the time to build the young man up and say how much he deserves his chance rather than: ‘Well, he’s getting it because we’ve got a load of injuries.’

Apart from anything else, does he expect that football is going to give Manchester United any sympathy? They had £150million and they chose to spend it on attacking players and ignored the defensive side of things.

It’s no use Van Gaal moaning and groaning; get on with it, put the young man in, give him a chance and let’s hope he grasps it with both hands

JEFF'S GEM OF THE WEEK

It has to go to Leicester for their 5-3 win over Manchester United. I was watching under-16 football at the time of the match but my youngest son kept texting me the scores and I couldn't believe it for love nor money - I thought he was taking the mickey!

Of course the penalty that was awarded at 3-1 that got Leicester back in the game wasn't a penalty - yes, United got a harsh deal. But realistically, they're away to a newly-promoted side, they're still a goal to the good, and they've got this huge array of talent.

They can't use that as an excuse for the way they fell apart in the ensuing minutes. And by the way, it's not as if Manchester United have ever had a dubious penalty awarded in their favour, let's get that straight! United can't use that as an excuse; we expect better from them and I'm sure we'll see better.

I love Leicester boss Nigel Pearson - he's grounded, astute, underrated and did everything right on the day. Leicester have got loads of pace, Jamie Vardy was brilliant and it was a thrilling comeback.

For the Foxes to have eight points at this stage of the season from the games they've had is nothing short of a minor miracle. Good luck to them!

Credit: skysports.com