Sir Alex excited by United youth

Sir Alex Ferguson is certain that the future is bright for his Manchester United side.

Although it is unlikely Phil Jones, Jonny Evans or Tom Cleverley will start on Sunday, when United open their Barclays Premier League title defence at West Brom, they did enough at Wembley on Sunday to ensure they will play some part as the season unfolds.

United got the better of noisy neighbours Manchester City in the Community Shield, coming back from two goals down to win 3-2.

And had it not been for the trio of youngsters triggering an extraordinary second-half revival, the Red Devils' efforts would have been diluted by the goals they gave away at the end of the first half.

As it was, David de Gea was able to let the first harsh lesson of footballing life in England sink in whilst celebrating his first winners' medal, with United's fans streaming away from Wembley having been given a clue of what may lie ahead.

"It just confirms what I thought about the squad," said Ferguson.

"People have been saying we are not the best United squad but we have a lot of young players, who will improve.

"We brought Cleverley back from Wigan. We brought (Danny) Welbeck back and (Mame Biram) Diouf.

"These boys are good players and the addition of Jones and De Gea gives us a good future."

In receipt of high praise from England manager Fabio Capello, Jones will be able to continue his education without the glare De Gea must cope with.

Cleverley is the really interesting one, though.

"I trust them and have confidence in the ability of the players," said Ferguson.

"But you can never be confident in the Premier League. You know by the very experience of going through league campaigns how difficult it is.

"Six teams could be challenging for the title."

United will head to the Hawthorns without hit-man Javier Hernandez, who in all likelihood will not be considered until after the September international break given the need to be cautious due to a concussion he suffered in New Jersey almost a fortnight ago.

However, Ferguson could have everyone else at his disposal, confirming midfielder Darren Fletcher and winger Antonio Valencia are both back in full training after recovering from a virus and an ankle injury respectively.

"We are doing the right thing with Hernandez but both Fletcher and Valencia are back," he said.