Powell stays humble after goal scoring Man Utd debut

Manchester United midfielder Nick Powell has promised not to go overboard after netting a cracking goal on his debut for the Red Devils.

Powell, who replaced United legend Ryan Giggs in the 72nd minute, capped his first cameo appearance for the Red Devils with a 20-yard screamer against Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford.

The 18-year-old joined United from Crewe Alexandra Football Club for a transfer fee of £4 million in the summer transfer window, joining fellow new signings Alexander Büttner, Ángelo Henríquez, Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie at the Theatre of Dreams.

“My dad will keep me in touch, I’ll tell you that,” Powell told MUTV.

“When I first came on it scared me a little bit, to be fair, because I’m only used to 5,000 people now and then, but it’s a great atmosphere – the fans are great. It wasn’t the hardest game because they made it easier for me but I’m happy to be on the pitch getting minutes.

“I learn every day, especially from the midfielders – [Paul] Scholes, [Michael] Carrick, Giggsy [Ryan Giggs] – they’re all great, they’ve all been through it and won trophies. That’s what I want to do, so I hope to learn off them every day.”

Powell, who was primarily used as a striker by Crewe Alexandra boss Dario Gradi last term, bagged 16 goals for the Railwaymen in 2011-12.

In other news, fellow Manchester United debutant Alexander Büttner, who joined the Reds from Dutch Eredivisie side Vitesse Arnhem for £4 million in the summer transfer window, also found the back of the net in his first appearance for the Red Devils.

Büttner’s scintillating performance surely established himself as a fan-favourite after just 90 minutes of action at Old Trafford.

Both Powell and Büttner will be on Sir Alex Ferguson’s radar ahead of Manchester United’s UEFA Champions League clash with Turkish Super League giants Galatasaray S.K. on Wednesday.

However, the Scottish boss has admitted that he will select the Reds’ strongest team after being embarrassed by Benfica, FC Basel and FC Oțelul Galați in the Champions League group stage last season.

“We never got out of the group last time,” revealed Sir Alex.

“It was a disappointment for us. We’ll definitely take no chances this time. We’ll play our strongest team on Wednesday.”

Manchester United are 12/1 to defeat Galatasaray 4-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday, while star striker Robin van Persie is 11/4 to score two or more goals.