Young guns reap rewards for David Moyes' facelift plans
United manager's debut campaign improves after Smalling and Jones shine on the pitch, signalling that life beyond veterans is possible
The introduction of a youthful centre-back pair in Manchester United's 3-0 win at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday was an indication of David Moyes' plans beyond a disappointing first season in charge.
Moyes has continually reiterated his intention to reshape United after inheriting an ageing squad from Alex Ferguson during a beleaguered debut campaign with the Premier League champions.
His inclusion of Chris Smalling, 24, and Phil Jones, 22, at The Hawthorns was an indication that the former Everton manager is ready to give United a facelift, and plan for life beyond some of their decorated veterans.
[For the first goal], it was a really good header by Phil after Rafael did good work down the right and got the free kick
"I thought Smalling and Jones played really well," Moyes said after watching his side claim their first back-to-back league victories since December.
"Smalling was excellent by all accounts for England, too [against Denmark on Wednesday], while Jones is a very good player.
"He's been out for a month and we needed to try to get him some minutes, as we've got some big games coming up. We needed to make sure he's ready to play and they both did a great job."
The centre-back pairing replaced Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, who both started in United's last match, a dismal 2-0 loss away to Olympiakos Piraeus in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Captain Vidic announced last month he would be leaving United at the end of his contract in the summer, with Inter Milan confirming they had secured his signature last Wednesday.