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Paul McGuinness' Under-18s lost their first match for a month last weekend against Bolton. The squad is very young this season and possesses players with technique and skill rather than power and physical presence.

"Sometimes we come up against teams that are physically stronger than us, and fans will see that, but we always play good football," adds Les. "We have a few players in the side now that are physically inadequate at the moment, but that's not a problem. When Paul Scholes was 16 we could only play him part of the game. He would run his little legs off and after 45 minutes there would be nothing left in them! But, he's not done too badly since. We always go for boys that are talented, and we are prepared to take a chance on a small player rather than just going for the big lad."

Fans can now watch United's Under-18 Academy matches live on the club's official television channel, MUTV.

The first match screened live is Saturday's clash with Manchester City. Former Academy Director Les Kershaw - at the forefront of developing young players under Sir Alex's reign - says it will benefit the youngsters as much as supporters wanting to see the players emerging through United's famed Academy.

"We are delighted for the fans to be able to watch these games," Les told MUTV. "It puts a little bit of extra pressure on the boys, but that's not a problem."