Ferguson unconcerned by cup defeat

Sir Alex Ferguson insists he is happy with Manchester United's form despite his side's struggle to score goals and their defeat to lower-league Crystal Palace in the League Cup. United have won three and drawn one of their Premier League games since the 6-1 drubbing by Manchester City but have not scored more than a single goal in the league since 1 October. Moreover, Wayne Rooney, who started the season with a terrific scoring run, has not hit a league goal since mid-September. Ferguson is adamant that United are in form, should have beaten Newcastle last weekend, and that a trip to Aston Villa tomorrow holds few fears - United have lost only twice in 19 visits to Villa Park since the Premier League started. Ferguson said: "Our form last Saturday was excellent, we played as well as we have played all season. We needed that little bit of luck around about the goalmouth - that would have made it a good result as Newcastle have been playing really well. We made so many chances we really should have won the game comfortably so I have no problems with that. "We have a good record at Villa Park - it's no coincidence that our best records away from home are at Villa Park and Tottenham. To me they represent real football grounds, the atmosphere is good, the crowds are close to the touchline and we have done well down there. But every time we have had to play well down there to win, you can't just depend on your past record." Tomorrow marks Ashley Young's first return to Villa Park since his move in the summer and Ferguson said he had been delighted with how quickly the 26-year-old had settled in. He added: "He started off really well and that does not always happen when a player joins Manchester United. We are pleased with that. He has done well, he has been a great signing for us and has integrated really well into the squad." It is also another chance for Ferguson to cross swords with one of his old stalwarts at Aberdeen, Alex McLeish, and the United boss believes his former player is being given a harder ride by Villa fans because of his move from city rivals Birmingham. "Alex McLeish has been under scrutiny a wee bit but in the kind of climate of today's supporters it's understandable, they don't have the patience any longer," added Ferguson. "Because he was manager of Birmingham City it doesn't help him either but that's the kind of supporters we have got nowadays - no patience." Ferguson blamed the Palace defeat of United's second-string side on the lack of competitive football that his young players have had, and said he may send Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf out on loan in January. He added: "The problem is the type of reserve league we have now, it's really a youth league, and that is a big problem. It [the defeat] bothers me in the sense that the level of training we do was let down. "For us it was Rafael's first game, Darron Gibson's first game, Mame Diouf's only played four games this season, Macheda only his third game. That's not enough football to play in the quarter-final of a League Cup I'm afraid. That caught us and I was surprised of the level of fitness of Crystal Palace against us. In terms of match play we were certainly short." Asked about the players going out on loan he added: "It works well for all young players to get game time and that's what we are looking at for Macheda and Diouf, they need game time, there is no question about that. Every young players wants to play and we have to give them that opportunity." Dimitar Berbatov will miss the trip to Villa with an ankle injury picked up against Palace while Brazilian twins Rafael and Fabio da Silva - who also picked up knocks - will also miss out. Danny Welbeck is still a doubt with a muscle strain while Anderson (knee), Michael Owen (thigh) and Tom Cleverley (ankle) are longer-term absentees.