League Cup still matters to United´s Brown

The English League Cup may not be top of everyone’s priority list but for Manchester United defender Wes Brown it’s helping extend his Old Trafford career.

The 31-year-old’s contract with the English giants is due to expire at the end of the season and Brown, an ever-present in the League Cup this season, is eager to prove his worth again should he be selected by Sir Alex Ferguson for United’s quarter-final away to Premier League rivals West Ham on Tuesday.

“I am not getting any younger now and every game I do play I just try to enjoy and do my best for the team,” he said.

“You have to give everything for the cause. That is the most important thing for me,” added Brown, who has lately been playing at full-back, where he started in the 2008 Champions League win over Chelsea, rather than in the centre of the defence.

“Staying focused is the most important thing when it comes to defending,” he said.

“We do a lot of repetitive drills in training to help you do that.

“We have this thing called wave games, where we basically attack and defend, over and over again.

“It helps drill it into your head what you need to do in one-on-one situations.”

United have won the League Cup for the past two seasons and although it lacks the prestige of the Champions League or Premier League, let alone the FA Cup, the Old Trafford club’s record in the competition is a source of pride for midfielder Michael Carrick.

“We set standards here,” said the England international.

“They have been set by different teams over the years and it carries on through each season.

“We want to try and reach those standards as often as possible.

“Sometimes you can’t do it, but when it does comes together, like it did against Blackburn, (thrashed 7-1 in the league by United) on Saturday, you get the feeling you should be doing it more often.

“That is what we strive for week after week, to try and get the right performance as well as the result.”