Crystal Palace boss Dougie Freedman is confident keeping his squad together after this week's Carling Cup win at Manchester United.

Youngsters Wilfried Zaha, Sean Scannell and Nathaniel Clyne, who impressed against Sir Alex Ferguson's side, are all being targeted by Premier League clubs for a move in January.

In an effort to balance the books, Palace have previously had to cash in on some of the top players they have brought through the academy, such as Victor Moses and Ben Watson.

But manager Freedman told the London Evening Standard: "This victory will put a lot of money in the bank for us. It is difficult in these tough economic times but this might make me hold on to one or two players in January. I want to keep this team together because I've worked very hard over the last 18 months with young players and getting the others ready and prepared. Getting through this round and having a semi-final to play will help us keep hold of a few which is probably better than trying to buy any in January anyway."

Palace chief executive Phil Alexander said: "I don't know how much this is worth financially to us exactly but will it make the difference if the clubs come after our talent in January? Absolutely. The young players were fantastic."