Brave Brown plays full game

Wes Brown was determined to play against Orlando Pirates in Durban on Tuesday, despite the death of his half sister at the weekend.

The Reds’ no.6 played the full 90 minutes and will now return to Manchester on Wednesday evening to be with his family.

“[To play Wes tonight] was a decision we both took,” Sir Alex told reporters after Tuesday’s match.

“I’ve been speaking with him over the last few days and the boy wanted to play. He felt he should play and therefore he’ll take up the family duties when he gets back. He’ll fly home on Wednesday night.”

Sir Alex is known throughout the game as a master of man management, but he admits sometimes players are better off making their own decisions.

“It’s a difficult one to advise on,” he said. “Only the individual can know what’s right, and Wes wanted to stay. Because there’s a post-mortem happening at the moment, there was no emergency for the boy to rush home.”