Cesc Fabregas has hailed Arsenal's "sensational" young Gunners and believes there is nothing they cannot achieve under the guidance of Arsene Wenger. Arsenal romped to a 6-0 victory over Sheffield United on Tuesday, when the average age of the team was just 19. Fabregas said: "It was sensational. Everyone played their part and were fantastic. There were 56,000 fans at the stadium and they were really entertained. It does not surprise me or the rest of the team because we play with them in training every day and we know what they can do. Of course you are excited to see them play together in a real game, but you are not surprised by their quality. I hope this can turn out to be the greatest generation. There is definitely the potential in this side to do that."

 Martin O'Neill has insisted James Milner will have a big role to play at Aston Villa despite only using him sparingly since his £12million move from Newcastle United. Milner must wait to see if he will start in Saturday's meeting with Sunderland but the manager is adamant he will be a vital cog in the Villa machine for many years to come. O'Neill said: "We went into the West Brom game with the same side as against Tottenham the previous Monday and the same side as against Liverpool - but James will play. Don't worry about that. James couldn't play against QPR because he was cup-tied. I get asked 'where I am I going to fit James in.' It is a nice problem to have. But he will play. He didn't come here to sit on the bench - but it is a nice problem to have."

 Manager Paul Ince may be intent on taking the club to the next level with new ideas but he still has time for some wise old heads. Tugay, 38, had much to do with the 1-0 Carling Cup victory against Everton with a classy performance which tilted the match in Rovers' favour. Ince said: "Tugay may be the grandad of our side but he is still a fantastic player. You never lose that passing ability and his brings composure to the team. The older you get you want to play every day and Tugay is no different. He still has the enthusiasm of 10 years ago but we have to be careful with him. It is horses for courses."

 Manager Gary Megson claims he is undaunted by having to travel to Manchester United on Saturday on the back of last weekend's home defeat by Arsenal. The Trotters were outplayed 3-1 by Arsene Wenger's side but Megson refuses to throw the towel in before the Old Trafford trip. He said: "The fact we are playing those two sides in successive Saturdays does not particularly help but we will go there and try to put the Arsenal result to the back of our minds. Everyone involved in football enjoys going to Old Trafford as that is the magic of Manchester United. It is a big game for us as it is for United and a really attractive fixture and one to look forward to."

 Petr Cech insists Chelsea can compete on all four fronts this season after their commanding 4-0 Carling Cup victory away at Portsmouth. The Blues goalkeeper was a virtual armchair spectator and kept the 94th clean sheet of his Chelsea career to move second equal with Carlo Cudicini behind club record-holder Peter Bonetti. And afterwards Cech stressed that Chelsea will not run out of steam in their trophy quest. He said: "If you look at the players we have in our squad, whatever line-up we put on the pitch will be strong. We are trying to win every competition, so it is not a surprise that the manager decides to put out a strong team in all games. We will see what happens in the later stages of the cups but at the moment I am playing all the games. I feel physically very good and I am not suffering from any fatigue. This group of players looks really impressive. We have a lot of quality here. In this game, even a player like Wayne Bridge who hadn't played for quite a while was able to play very well."

 David Moyes has warned his side must cut out the defensive errors after they went out of the Carling Cup at Blackburn Rovers. The Everton manager was deeply upset to see his side concede so early at Ewood Park. He said: "It hurts not to go through and it was a disappointing display. We put out a strong side and we came into the competition wanting to have a real go at getting through. But that didn't work for us. We've talked about [the defending] and other people have talked about it. We've done what we can in the days between games to look at our defending but if you concede after nine minutes you're always going to put yourself under pressure." 

 Striker Andrew Johnson hopes to get another chance to build his partnership with Bobby Zamora against West Ham United on Saturday. The two new boys played well together against Bolton Wanderers and Johnson hopes to strengthen their understanding against the Hammers at Craven Cottage. He said: "For the first game we played together against Bolton we'd only trained together for about two weeks - I thought we hit it off well. Bobby's a tremendous player and I've said before that he doesn't get the credit he deserves - you just have to see the goal he scored against Bolton. If Thierry Henry or (Wayne) Rooney had scored that goal, they'd be talking about it for two or three weeks. But it's like the Gaffer says, `you don't build a home overnight'. So our partnership will take some time but we've hit it off really well so far."

 Manager Phil Brown insists he understands Dean Windass' frustration but has reminded the veteran striker he still has responsibilities "off the park". The 39-year-old Hull-born player secured his place in club folklore with the winning goal in May's Coca-Cola Championship play-off final victory but he has made just one substitute appearance in the league this term. Windass claimed it "hurt like hell" not to make the bench for last weekend's draw with Everton and said he would consider moving on if he could not be assured of a place in Brown's plans. Brown said: "I haven't spoken to Dean, but I spoke to his agent at length (on Wednesday) and we see eye to eye. But he has a part to play off the park, and that's a leadership quality you only get in certain people. He has to understand he still has a part to play."

 Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel have been named in the Holland squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Iceland and Norway. The Dutch will host Iceland in Rotterdam on Saturday, October 11, and then take on Norway in Oslo four days later. 

 Manager Mark Hughes has picked out Michael Johnson's return to first-team action as one of the bright points of Manchester City's Carling Cup defeat by Brighton and Hove Albion. The midfielder played 102 minutes of the match, which was his first since picking up a groin injury in the win over Sunderland just over three weeks ago. Hughes said: "The injury has been hampering him, but he needs to train and play if he can. It's an issue that we need to get on top of, but he will be better for the game on Wednesday. There'll be discomfort but the question is whether it's manageable. He looked mobile, he was involved in the game and did OK in the circumstances."

 Ryan Giggs believes Manchester United's campaign can be kick-started by this week's Carling Cup victory over Middlesbrough. United have had a tricky opening to the campaign but the Welsh winger believes they are now up and running. He said: "It was a tough start, there's no doubting that. We didn't play well at the beginning of the season, but over the last week or so - against Villarreal, and at Chelsea in the first half especially - we've showed some really good stuff. We've got a really strong squad. A lot of the players perhaps haven't played games in the last few weeks, but they got that game time tonight. This team's capable of going on a winning run of 10 games. Hopefully that's started and we can carry it on against Bolton."

 Andrew Taylor is relishing the prospect of coming face to face with old pal James Morrison this weekend. The two youngsters were inseparable while they were at the club and have remained in close contact since Morrison's move to West Bromwich Albion last season. Taylor said: "I've been on the phone to him quite a lot and we've been having a bit of banter, so hopefully I'll be playing left-back and he'll be playing right-wing. I think he felt maybe he wasn't getting as much of a chance as he would have like here. He wanted to get out and improve himself, which is fair play to him.He's done well, he's a regular in the Scotland squad, scoring goals and showing people just how good a player he is."

 Fabricio Coloccini suffered a bloodied nose in the Carling Cup defeat by Tottenham Hotspur but insists he will be fine for the match against Blackburn Rovers. The Argentine defender needed treatment and a change of shirt after colliding with the forearm of Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko but said: "I'm OK, a little bit sore but I'm fine. I'll be OK for the weekend." 

 Kanu has vowed Portsmouth will bounce back from their two heavy defeats when they host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Pompey have shipped 10 goals in the last two matches but the Nigerian international is determined the team will make amends to the supporters. He said: "The gaffer has told us what he wants and it is down to us to implement it. We want to give the fans something back. We don't want them to lose confidence in us. I believe on Sunday it's going to be a good show and we are going to win." 

 Manager Tony Pulis believes Saturday's home match against Chelsea will prove even more difficult than his side's trip to Anfield. Pulis and his players earned the plaudits by securing a backs-to-the-wall stalemate at Liverpool - and they are eager for another crack at one of the Barclays Premier League's "big four". But the Stoke City manager admitted he is under no illusions about the magnitude of the task his team will face at the Britannia Stadium. Pulis said: "Liverpool are a great side, but I've watched Chelsea's last two games and I think they are a step up on them. As a manager you are always looking for chinks in the armour of your opponents, but Chelsea have all the answers to all the questions you could pose."

 Manager Roy Keane has warned it will take time for his new-look team to knit together after another influx of signings. The Irishman will be looking for a major response from his players at Aston Villa on Saturday after seeing them scrape into the last 16 of the Carling Cup with a penalty shoot-out victory over Coca-Cola League One strugglers Northampton Town. Only two of the Black Cats' summer arrivals - Anton Ferdinand and David Healy - were involved against the Cobblers, when their blushes were spared by an unlikely late fightback. Keane said: "It's never easy. We have brought in eight, nine players, so it will take time for these lads, as good players as they are. The only bit of success we are going to get is if we play as a team."

 Gillingham have signed Tottenham Hotspur striker Andrew Barcham on a one-month loan deal. The pacy 21-year-old spent most of last season on loan at Leyton Orient, and has been given the chance to gain further first-team experience with Mark Stimson's men. Barcham becomes the third player to move from White Hart Lane to Priestfield on loan this season, following centre-back Leigh Mills and winger Charlie Daniels.

 Defender Neil Clement has undergone further knee surgery and will be out of action until at least the New Year. The former Chelsea player has had surgery after suffering the initial injury during a pre-season friendly with Real Mallorca in early August. Albion manager Tony Mowbray said: "Neil had an operation on his knee, which will put him out for quite a while. I won't sit here and tell you how many months exactly. I would suggest it will be the New Year, although I would not like to set that in stone because I am not a medical person." 

 West Ham United have minor injury concerns over strikers Craig Bellamy and Carlton Cole ahead of the visit to Fulham. Gianfranco Zola, facing his first Barclays Premier League away match as manager, said: "They will be training with us on Friday and after that we will decide. Apart from that we have the same players as last time."

 Steve Bruce believes an extra day's rest will help his players prepare for the Barclays Premier League fixture with Manchester City. Wigan Athletic are not in action until Sunday following the 4-1 win at Ipswich Town in the Carling Cup on Wednesday. The Latics manager said: "We now turn our attention back to the Premier League, and it's a big match against Manchester City on Sunday, which should be fantastic. We've got an extra day to prepare and it will be a good test for us."