Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says today's Carling Cup final against Tottenham is "a bonus".

"The League Cup is a bonus really," said Fergie. "We hadn't planned to be in the final when we put the young players in. We thought we'd maybe get to the quarter or semi-finals, but the young lads have progressed really well."

And Fergie gave his youngsters a ringing endorsement ahead of tomorrow's Wembley showpiece by claiming they would walk straight into most other first teams in the Premier League.