Boss surprised by Reds' start

Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is impressed with how his young side has dealt with a tough opening to the season thus far, though warns that the big games will keep coming.

Having added Bolton to a growing list of tricky scalps with a thumping win at the Reebok Stadium, the young Reds continue to catch the eye amid a taxing run of fixtures.

"When I saw the program to begin with I thought it would be tough but the boys are coping with it very well," Sir Alex told MUTV.

"There are a lot of big games coming up. We've got Chelsea next Sunday and we've got to go to Lisbon on Wednesday which is an important game. Benfica have always been tremendous opponents of ours and it'll be another hard game."

Wayne Rooney and Chicharito will aim to reprise their goal scoring heroics of the Reebok Stadium over the coming weeks and months, and Sir Alex had high praise for the deadly duo.

"He's a menace to any defender," the Boss said of Chicharito. "If you look at his first goal, his movement and speed to get across in front of the defender was absolutely first class. Over the years you've always said that [players can struggle] if they have a good first year and they're young, but I expected what I saw today."

On Rooney's growing influence, Sir Alex claimed: "It's down to maturity. He's in his mid-20s and I always think when players get to this age they get more authority in their game, their timing is better and their control of games is better. His presence is getting bigger in every game. He's looking fantastic."