Sir Alex Ferguson says United's youngsters can look to Sir Bobby Charlton for inspiration ahead of the Reds' Carling Cup clash with Coventry City.

A number of players will gain rare first-team starts on Wednesday night and the United manager says it's up to them to make the most of the opportunity.

"I've just been reading Bobby's book and he speaks a lot about his early years here," the manager told Manchester United Radio. "What came across strongly was the number of times he had to say, 'Believe in yourself Bobby, you'll get your chance'. I didn't realise he was 19 before he played his first game for United. He was being kept out of the team time and time again by more experienced players.

"It's the same with these young lads. They have to keep believing in themselves and, when their chance comes, take it. And they will get chances."

Sir Alex revealed he hopes to hand opportunities to almost a dozen Reserves or fringe players, including Gerard Pique, Chris Eagles and Tomasz Kuszczak. He also said Nani, Anderson and John O'Shea could be involved.

"This is a really important night for these players. They all want regular first-team football and that's not easy to manage. I'm trying to get them games in the Premier League and in Europe too, but Wednesday is a great opportunity for them.

"You have to use your squad throughout the course of the season and I'll be doing that when the time's right. At the moment they might not see that, but it will happen and I know they won't let us