New faces, same United spirit

ALEX FERGUSON believes his young side have given fans a glimpse of the future following a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to win the Community Shield 3-2 against noisy neighbours Manchester City; and, contrary to popular opinion, it doesn’t involve a change in the status quo.

If supporters arrived at Wembley hoping to see the end of an era they were sorely disappointed as Nani’s goal four minutes into injury-time completed a remarkable recovery that brought back memories of so many glorious victories of the past but also hinted at continued success to come.

United may have been without Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar and Gary Neville — all retired — and missing the rested Ryan Giggs but the spirit of those players was very much in evidence in the shape of young replacements such as Danny Wellbeck, Tom Cleverley, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young and Phil Jones, who all provided impressive performances in a pulsating match that whetted the appetite for the new Premier League season.