Crystal Palace boss Dougie Freedman is delighted for fans over their Carling Cup quarterfinal at Manchester United.

Freedman spent 10 of his 16 years as a professional at Selhurst Park before joining the coaching set-up in 2007 and therefore understands the tribulations of Palace supporters as well as how much of fillip a tie at United is.

"It is a way of saying thank you to our loyal fans," said the Glaswegian. "We've got to give the game to the supporters. We've twice gone into administration and suffered relegation but they have really stuck by us.

"It's a chance for them to enjoy the atmosphere of a Premier League ground in a big cup match. Hopefully we'll be playing week in week out in those kinds of stadia very soon. It's been a tough few years."