Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists he hasn't lost faith in his youngsters after their Carling Cup defeat to Crystal Palace.

Ferguson had made 10 changes for tie but still started with an experienced side featuring the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Park Ji-sung, Antonio Valencia, Fabio and Rafael da Silva.

He introduced prospects Ezekiel Fryers (19), Ravel Morrison (18) and Paul Pogba (18) off the bench and later admitted it had been hard for them to impress in such a game.

Ferguson told MUTV: "It is hard to come on when the team is not playing well around them. It was a difficult night for them but it won't do them any harm."