Anderson the World's Best?

Sir Alex Ferguson is billing Anderson as the world's best young player after watching the Brazilian make Paul Scholes Manchester United's forgotten man.

Anderson, 19, has been in breathtaking form since being given the daunting task of filling in for knee injury victim Scholes at the end of October.

Ferguson said: "Anderson has been absolutely superb. The boy has definitely got something special. There was an urgency to get him once we'd scouted him, even though he'd broken his leg and had been out for four or five months.

"The reports we were getting were saying that he was the best young player in the world. At the time, I was saying, 'For God's sake, let's calm down a bit here.' I knew he had real potential, but I didn't want to put labels on him like that. But we've been delighted with him and he has proven himself to be a true central midfield player.

"He can tackle, he's lightning quick, he's brave and he can pass the ball. What he's got to prove is his goalscoring ability because that's something that Scholesy has always given us."