Blackburn boss Hughes rates Wenger's Arsenal up there with United old boys

Blackburn manager and former Wales striker Hughes was a leading light at Old Trafford when the nucleus of United's talented FA Youth Cup sides went on to establish glittering careers at the top.

David Beckham, Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt all battled through to claim a first-team place then graduated with honours for United and won nearly 350 England caps between them.

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Wenger's Carling Cup kids, having reached the final last season, booked their place in next month's semi-finals with a dramatic 3-2 extra-time win over Hughes' Blackburn at Ewood Park on Tuesday night.

Arsenal were reduced to 10 men for the last half-hour and had a squad with an average age of 19, but Hughes recognised the quality they share with Fergie's fledglings of 15 years ago.

Hughes said: "Arsenal's players have the same mentality and they are very competitive. They can do very well too. Their mentality is that they expect to win games — they don't just hope to win games.

"At United, lads like Beckham, Scholes, Neville and Butt all had that same mentality. You could see it in them right from the time that they were in the youth team.

"I look at Arsenal's young players and I see that in them as well. They will always get the ball down and pass and move, and they'll create opportunities."

No single youth set-up since has produced such an abundance of talent — Gary Neville, for example, has won seven League titles and three FA Cups — and Wenger will often buy abroad rather than develop.

Hughes added: "What Arsenal have are two excellent teams — a first-choice team and another one which is made up of all the other exceptional players they have.

"Arsenal have got a fantastic squad. It's not a case of a first team and the reserves — they are all talented players. The team that played us are a talented side of individuals. They're maybe not as strong or cohesive as the first XI but that's because they have not played as many games together.

"They are very athletic and they can retain possession really well. We set out with a game plan to play high tempo and put them under pressure but we had to change because they were so impressive in the first 30 minutes.

"Arsenal will always have quality but this "kids" tag is also a relative term.

"Eduardo scored two goals — I don't know how much he cost, but it was something like £11million (actually, the fee is believed to be £7.5m). So these young kids don't come cheap!"

One kid who did come cheap, 18-year-old midfielder Mark Randall, an Arsenal scholar since the summer last year, was given his first start at Blackburn after appearances from the bench in two previous Carling Cup ties.

And Randall is convinced that more English youngsters will get their chance under Wenger in the future.

Randall, who only received a late call-up to the side after Theo Walcott was forced to withdraw through illness, said: "The boss told me to stay relaxed and play my game.

"It's hard work to get into the first team but if you are good enough you will get a chance.

"There are plenty of young English players coming through like Henri Lansbury, Gavin Hoyte and Rhys Murphy — we just have to keep working hard to get into the first team."