Manchester United’s Amos Hoping For Carling Cup Chance

Twenty-year-old Ben Amos is hoping for another chance between the sticks as Manchester United take on West Ham at Upton Park on Tuesday. The Cheshire-born stopper made his first appearance of the season – and his second for United in competitive games – when he played in goal for the Red Devils in their 3-2 win over Wolves in the Carling Cup fourth round last month. Amos spent some time on loan at Molde in the Norwegian League over the summer, making eight appearances, and United boss Sir Alex Ferguson declared at the start of the season that he would be the side’s third-choice keeper after Edwin van der Sar and Tomas Kuszczak. But while he admits that he looks on enviously at players younger than him playing more regularly in the first-team he says he realises that he needs to be patient.

“The next game is always a target for me,” he told the club’s official website. “They don’t come round too often being the number three keeper, so I’ve just got to make sure I’m ready and I’m peaking when those games come around.

“The patience helps when you know goalkeepers have a longer career; look at Edwin and how he’s still playing now.”Amos admits that training with someone much older than himself like the 40-year-old van der Sar was rather like training with your father although he admits the Dutchman is always keen to pass on advice.

“I’ve said a few times that it is a little bit like training with your dad, yeah. I don’t think he’ll appreciate that, but he’s great. I’m chewing at his ear all the time, trying to get bits of advice. He’s very open and he says what he thinks, so it’s great.

“He’s a good role model because of his presence.”Amos is hoping to make an appearance in tonight’s game at Upton Park but says he isn’t phased by the prospect of playing away in a hostile atmosphere. “Any game in the first team is a game in the first team, so that’s how I approach it. Whether it’s Old Trafford or not, it’s not really an issue. The atmosphere is something you’ve got to handle. I can’t see it being a problem to me personally at all.”