In the bleak mid-winter of 1993, Alex Ferguson, not for the first and not for the last time, caused amazement and anger in England when he sent out a Manchester United team for a second-round League Cup tie at Port Vale made up of only five recognised first-team players. The others were all teenagers.

Outrageous and insulting were two of the kinder remarks that came Ferguson's way when he announced that this was his plan. The vitriol came before kick-off. After an 18-year-old called Paul Scholes then scored twice in a 2-1 victory, and the other youths on show - David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Keith Gillespie and the brothers Gary and Phil Neville - had performed admirably, the reaction was rather different. After the Busby Babes, suddenly "Fergie's Fledglings" was born as a back-page headline.

It has been used many times since as that clutch of young players, Gillespie excepted, justified Ferguson's faith, forming a nucleus of the side which swept all before them domestically and in Europe over the past five years.

The title of being undisputed world champions was one they genuinely wanted to win here, but that ambition was undermined by Gary Neville's uncharacteristic lapses on Saturday night.

That defeat, however, has resulted in an opportunity for Ferguson to reveal his latest project: Manchester United, the next generation. For Vale Park 1993, read the Maracana 2000. It would be difficult to imagine a greater contrast.

Ferguson made public his intention to play "the kids" after Saturday night's flop, and yesterday, at the roasting Flamengo training ground United have used as their sanctuary, he made public his team for tonight. While it may not have quite the same impact as in 1993, Ferguson has stuck to his word and, for most people outside United's fan base, this will be a first chance to see Ronnie Wallwork, Danny Higginbotham, Jonathan Greening and Mark Wilson in action.

For them it is a chance to play in one of the world's great theatres, even if it is likely to be empty and the South Melbourne opposition is semi-professional.

It is a treat for others, too. Raimond van der Gouw, Henning Berg, Jordi Cryuff and Quinton Fortune have limited opportunities at Old Trafford, while Phil Neville's position is not always assured. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will partner Andy Cole up front.

Cole will be captain, a typically defiant Ferguson gesture, given Cole almost caused a diplomatic incident with a crude tackle on United's tour of Australia last summer that left Simon Colissimo of Carlton threatening to consult his lawyers.

But the focus will be on the quartet of new faces, 22-year-old Wallwork in particular. A shortish centre-half at 5 ft 10 in, but with "a great spring" according to Ferguson, Wallwork was one of the first United youngsters to go out on loan to Royal Antwerp, the Belgian feeder club United bought into last year. There United's most promising young players can gain some first team experience, for while it's one thing being good enough to play for United, it is another breaking into the side.

So Wallwork and Higginbotham, Mancunians both and with the club since they were 10, set sail for Antwerp. But, after a successful settling in period, a major storm erupted when the two were accused of assaulting a referee in the tunnel after a tense match. Wallwork was banned for life by the Belgian FA for his part, Higginbotham for a year. It took an appeal from Ferguson to get the bans lifted everywhere bar Belgium.

So both went back to Manchester, where Higginbotham, just turned 21 and a gifted left-back, made his United debut last month against Leicester City. Now they are in the Maracana.

"It's all about getting on with it," Wallwork said yesterday of his Belgian interruption, "it's a big relief it's over. The experience in Belgium was good for me, apart from what happened, but the football was good out there. I learned a lot."

The latter is what both Ferguson and his reserve team coach Jimmy Ryan hope to do tonight. "The reason I'm doing it is because we've come a long way and to play in the Maracana is something that will stay with them," Ferguson said. "A lot of players never get that chance. It happens: Pele never played at Wembley.

"The extra thing they'll get is the confirmation that they can hold themselves in the first team. It's a character test. We know they've got the ability because that's been tested many times. Ronnie is definitely a Manchester United player, he will eventually be a first team player, no doubt about that. He's got a good reading of the game, he's a great passer of the ball and he's tough mentally."

Ryan, like Ferguson a Glaswegian, said: "The fans will be looking for them to win and get through. Maybe the coaching staff are looking for slightly different things. Personality and character, we're always looking for that. But we have confidence in this young group, so we won't be scared about throwing them onto the stage."

The extra £0.5 million a win would bring is of such small change to United it is not inconceivable that they would prefer to go out tonight. Even a victory would mean Necaxa having to lose heavily against Vasco da Gama for United to make Friday's third-place play-off.

But then victory tonight is unlikely - as Alan Hansen said, you never win anything with kids.

Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, said in Rio last night that he would like to see the Club World Championship become an event held every other year and featuring 16 teams from around the world.

Blatter's theory contradicts much of the line FIFA were pushing last week when they stated that they wanted the tournament to be held annually in the European winter and that they were working towards the "harmonisation" of global league timetables.