Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is delighted with the progress being shown by Anderson.

Ferguson said: "Anderson is a different type of player altogether to Roy Keane, but when you are looking for that central midfield player - we've got Scholes who is coming to the end of his career, Roy Keane has left us to try his hand at management - you say, 'who is going to function for Manchester United?'

"Then a 19-year-old lad comes in and you see his performance level. You know he is going to become a terrific player and life moves on. United move on, it's inevitable.

"Our style has changed over the last few years. We've got different types of players to ten years ago, so you cannot replicate every team with identical players.

"When I first came here they used to say Bryan Robson was king and you cannot win a game without him. I began to believe it as well because we didn't operate as well without him.

"We had to change the mentality - change the mental toughness. They thought you could never find another Robson, but then Roy Keane came along and filled the breach marvellously.

"Then they thought you would never get another Keane, but then someone like Anderson steps through the door and the cycle just keeps going."