Sir Alex trusts Tomasz

Sir Alex Ferguson insists he has no qualms about handing Tomasz Kuszczak his Champions League debut against Roma on Tuesday evening, after Edwin van der Sar was ruled out through injury.

The 25-year-old stopper made his first league appearance of the season as a half-time substitute at Birmingham on Saturday after van der Sar had injured a toe.

The Polish goalkeeper looked confident between the posts and made a superb reflex save from Gary McSheffrey's deflected shot soon after Cristiano Ronaldo had given the Reds the lead.

He now faces his biggest test of his Reds' career so far as he prepares to make his European bow. But Sir Alex is confident he'll rise to the challenge.

"I'm very confident that Tomasz can step up [to the Champions League]," said Sir Alex at his pre-match press conference. "The boy just needed the opportunity.

"Especially with the ability and experience of Edwin van der Sar, it is difficult for any young goalkeeper to get games.

"But he showed on Saturday against Birmingham, as he has done in the past, that he can do very well. I was very pleased with his performance against Birmingham."