Alex Ferguson has blamed the inexperience of his side for the loss against Kansas City Wizards, but expects players like Ritchie De Laet to come good. De Laet haswatched most of the United games from the Man Utd Hospitality Tickets so far this season, but is hoping to get on the pitch more in 2010/11.

The Red Devils, who began with Ben Amos in goal and had a back four of Rafael da Silva, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Ritchie De Laet, were undone by two first-half goals either side of Dimitar Berbatov’s penalty.

Teal Bunbury was a threat for the MLS side but Ferguson says he was satisfied with his team’s progress, despite the result.

"I thought the inexperience of the defenders showed in the first 15 minutes," he told reporters at his post-match press conference. "That was a bit of a handicap and we never quite recovered from that.

"Bunbury was a handful physically - he gave us a hard time that way. But I felt young Ben Amos organised the defenders and calmed them down.

"The things we are looking for from the players are coming, but our possession of the ball today was ragged at times. Normally we are much better. Hopefully that will come with the games.

After making the first team debut last season Ritchie De laet seems to be a exciting prospect for the future.

The Belgian 21 year old has been a regular in the reserves and has been called up to the first team squad when need case in point the injury crisis. Looks likely to be first choice backup to Rio, Vidic and Evans but will be used during the cup competition against weaker opposition.

Manchester United's versatile young Belgium defender Ritchie De Laet could be set for a season-long loan move during the 2010/11 campaign.

A host of Premier League and Championship teams are thought to be exploring the option of signing the 21-year-old on loan for next season.

De Laet has impressed at United since joining from Stoke in January 2009 and made his Premier League debut on the final day of the 2008/09 season against Hull.

The Belgium international has made five appearances in the first team this season and he is highly regarded within the corridors of Old Trafford.

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If anyone had said at the beginning of this season that an unknown Belgian defender's move from Ajax to Arsenal would be one of the best signings in the Premier League, they would probably have been laughed at. Yet Thomas Vermaelen soon proved his worth, adding steel to the Arsenal defence and chipping in with some good goals.

Arsene Wenger has earned a big reputation as a talent spotter, but Vermaelen's switch came as a shock to many even in Belgium.

A year earlier, David Moyes had seemingly gone out on a limb when he signed another Belgian. Hardly any fans outside Belgium knew much about Marouane Fellaini before he went to Everton. Fellaini wigs were spotted all around Liverpool as the young Belgian became a cult figure among the Everton faithful.

Along with Vincent Kompany and, recently, young Dedryck Boyata at Manchester City, Vermaelen and Fellaini are just the tip of an iceberg of Belgian talent coming through the ranks these days. Many other Belgians may very well become household names in the years to come.

Manchester United recently signed 18-year-old Marnick Vermijl, a full back described by Sir Alex Ferguson himself as the best young full back, left or right, he had seen in years. Vermijl joins 21-year-old Ritchie De Laet at Old Trafford.

Ritchie de Laet has signed a new three-year deal at Manchester United after impressing in pre-season. The Belgian defender joined from Stoke in January and every time he got the chance to play for the first team he showed good pace and a healthy aggression.

'Alex Ferguson told me I'm very close to the first team,' he told The Sun.

'There has been talk of me going out on loan but Sir Alex said I can't leave as he may need me. The new contract is a surprise and fantastic news.'

Full-back is a problematic area these days: none of our right-backs is top class (and only O'Shea spends more time on the pitch than on the treatment table) while Patrice Evra is world class but his replacement in case of an injury or suspension is either O'Shea who is frequently needed on the other flank or Fabio who is inexperienced and injury prone.

Ritchie De Laet has been rewarded with a new contract at Manchester United that ties him to the club until 2012.

Ritchie De Laet

GettyImages

Ritchie De Laet in action against Wolves this season.

De Laet, 20, was a surprise signing for the club when arriving from Stoke City in January and has made two appearances for the first team at Old Trafford, most recently as a substitute in the 1-0 Carling Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.

De Laet appears to have impressed Sir Alex Ferguson and with a loan exit firmly ruled out, the Belgian defender has extended his contract at Old Trafford.

"Alex Ferguson told me I'm very close to the first team," De Laet told the Sun. "There has been talk of me going out on loan but Sir Alex said I can't leave as he may need me. The new contract is a surprise and fantastic news."

De Laet never donned a first-team shirt for Stoke City but made three appearances during a loan spell with Wrexham at the end of 2008.

It is also reported that United forward Danny Welbeck is close to signing a new contract after some encouraging performances for the first team.

Sir Alex Ferguson admits leaving out Zoran Tosic and Ritchie De Laet from United’s 25-man Champions League squad wasn’t easy.

Both players impressed during pre-season but neither will be eligible to play in the group stage of the forthcoming European campaign, which begins on Tuesday with a tricky fixture in Turkey.

Some papers had suggested Tosic’s exclusion was tantamount to the end of his United career, but Sir Alex was quick to dispel any such rumours.

“It was just a numbers decision,” the manager said. “We have such a massive squad now.

“The difficulty was around what we should do with Owen Hargreaves, whether or not to put him or Zoran in the squad. The other player [who narrowly missed out] was Ritchie De Laet.

“We came down on the side of Hargreaves because, having taken the medical advice, we think he’ll be available for the last three Champions League group-stage games.”

That news, while disappointing for Tosic and De Laet, comes as a big boost for United fans, some of whom had begun to wonder if they’d ever see Hargreaves again in a red shirt.

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