Tuesday, 30th September, 2014
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on youngster Paddy McNair's performance against West Ham, saying that the defender is unlikely to face any tougher tests than the one he experienced on his debut on Saturday.
With defenders Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans all out of action due to injury, the 19-year-old, who joined the Red Devils' youth set-up in 2011, was drafted in to play his first game for the senior team in the Premier League.
The Red Devils snapped up an important three points at the weekend, with the 2-1 victory against the Hammers only their second win in the Premier League so far.
But despite an early 2-0 lead within the first 23 minutes, the Manchester-based outfit faced a difficult match after West Ham clawed one goal back and Rooney was sent off for a reckless foul against Stewart Downing early on in the second half.
"That was probably one of the bigger tests a young defender can face, up against a team putting in lots of crosses into the box", the Manchester United captain told his club's official site.
"But [McNair] took it and stood up to it, especially in the second half.
“It won’t get much tougher in terms of physical strength and aggression against him, but he dealt with it and we are all delighted with him."
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The game could have ended 2-2, with McNair impressing when clearing a dangerous header from Enner Valencia towards the end and the defender resisted the urge to succumb to West Ham's pressure throughout the match.
Manchester United sit in seventh place with eight points and host Everton next at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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