Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has praised his young defenders Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Rafael.
All three players impressed in last night's 1-0 victory over West Ham United.
The Scot paid tribute to the way that his back line dealt with the Hammers, whom he described as a "handful".
"Chris [Smalling] came into the team and did very well after a few weeks out and Jonny Evans was magnificent," said Ferguson.
"There were a lot of plus points tonight, particularly with the defending because you have to against West Ham because they are such a handful. We had to be at our best for the whole 90 minutes.
"Rafael is maturing, he's 22 years of age now. He came here as a young boy, he was in the first team at 17-18, and made a lot of rash mistakes because he was such an enthusiastic boy. He is maturing and learning now."
Ferguson's side travel to Reading for the late kickoff this Saturday.
Sam Hughes
