Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager believes that the former Crewe Alexandra youngster Nick Powell could be a surprise package for the Premier League side this season. Powell made his United ‘debut’ in the 1-1 draw with Ajax Cape Town at the weekend when replacing the legendary Paul Scholes. Powell played the final 30 minutes as a holding midfielder but he still managed a shot on target in front of a crowd close to 70,000.

Ferguson feels that investing in promising youth will help United close the gap on their rivals Manchester City in the race for major honours. Following his first outing for the Red Devils, Ferguson said: “Nick Powell is a talented boy. He missed some training and 30 minutes was stretching him a bit in terms of sharpness, but the boy is a very good talent.”