Summer signing Phil Jones was thrilled to make his competitive home debut against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night but was more delighted with his display in the Reds' convincing 3-0 win.
The former Blackburn man settled quickly alongside Jonny Evans at the heart of the United defence and helped keep a clean sheet in the club's second Premier League victory of the campaign.
"It helps having a week to prepare," he said after the game. "It’s disappointing that Rio [Ferdinand] and Nemanja [Vidic] are injured. You don’t want to lose your best players, especially at the start of the season, but I knew I had my chance to step up to the plate tonight and hopefully I’ve showed the gaffer I can do it."
England Under-21 international Jones, 19, is adapting to life with United and explained how enjoyable it is to play with his new team-mates.
"It’s incredible," he enthused. "The fans were unbelievable. I knew it would be like this. I was just excited to be out there and pleased with the three points in the end.
"I think it’s the tempo of the game that's the biggest difference. No disrespect to Blackburn, I enjoyed my time there, but it's the speed at which we play. The gaffer and Rene [Meulensteen] have been saying all week how much energy we’ve got in the side. That showed today and it’s paid off."