Premiership: Silvestre slams Ferguson's faith in Irwin

Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre has criticised manager Alex Ferguson for his faith in Ireland veteran Denis Irwin.

The French international, a rival for Irwin’s full-back berth, said he finds Ferguson’s decisions about the United defence difficult to understand.

"Alex Ferguson repeatedly opts to play Denis Irwin and that is something I find really hard to cope with," he said.

"However, I will hold myself back for the time being. I need to keep calm. It would be idiotic to blow a fuse, but I’ve strung together some good performances so I feel somewhat bitter about our difficult start to the season."