|Does United's future still lie in youth?|
|Around the Academy:
Man United spent millions on Wayne Rooney, so do Manchester United still need an academy?
It is crucial that we keep identifying top young players to come to Manchester United.
And it's not just overseas we look.
We've got Chris Eagles, Paul McShane, Kieran Richardson and Phil Bardsley all coming through.
They're all academy players - from Ireland, Watford, London, as well as Manchester.
But it's not just me responsible for bringing these players through.
There are many people below me who work with these young boys - identifying them, bringing them to the club.
And then they're coached at all young levels. So when they come to my level I'm able to answer the following question:
Have they got the temperament to play?
Because you know by the time they're recommended to you, you know they are good enough.
I'm very pleased with our youth identification at the moment.
It's a continuous drive to be in front of everybody else but it's not easy these days.
A lot of clubs are spending a lot of money on youth systems.
On youth players, and these players are often on contracts.
There's even the prospect of having to deal with agents who act for 15-year-old boys.
But I still find it very satisfying finding and working with these young players.
You hope that if you do that, the club tradition continues and the team will carry on winning things.
However, you can play young players all day, but you've still got to win!