Man Utd boss Ferguson: Time is now for Welbeck, Macheda

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says Danny Welbeck and Kiko Macheda will get their chance against Besiktas tomorrow night.

Young strikers Welbeck, 19 on Thursday, and Macheda, 18, have been conspicuous by their absence from Ferguson’s squads this term.

Ferguson admits that he must now test Welbeck and Macheda at the highest level in order not to stunt their development at Old Trafford.

Ferguson said: “I will be making changes (against Besiktas). Not a lot, but enough just to freshen it up. It’s a problem keeping players happy, but everyone has that when you have a squad of players.

“We use the League Cup for that and, if we can qualify early enough in the (Champions League) group, we can then use the likes of Welbeck. He will definitely play (against Besiktas) and Macheda too probably. They are the ones that need to be challenged.

“They’ve reached a point, and it happens in football, when a footballer has the ability to be a top player and you recognise that. You have to give them the challenge. If you don’t, they lose the scent.

“But this club has been good at recognising that over the years.

“It’s unfortunate for players above them, but when the likes of Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes came through, we thought they were certainties, but we had to give them a chance. And we did.

“That’s the nature of football. A young player turns the corner and takes someone’s job.”