Sir Alex Ferguson Defends Gabriel Obertan After Home Manchester United Debut

French winger Gabriel Obertan has received the backing of his manager Sir Alex Ferguson following his long-awaited home debut in a Manchester United shirt.

The former Bordeaux youngster was signed from the French club during the summer although a back injury has limited the 20-year-old to just a handful of reserve appearances before last week.

Obertan made his first team bow in the League Cup victory over Barnsley in midweek and was introduced in the 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers yesterday as a replacement for Nani after 63 minutes.

Despite failing to find the net with two gilt-edged chances on his Premier League debut, Ferguson was quick to offer his support to the tricky midfielder suggesting that he was pleased with Obertan's overall performance.

"Gabriel was a bit nervous when he came on," said the Scot, as quoted by the Press Association. 

"It was only his second game in seven months, so you have to put it in perspective. But then he settled down and did well. He is not happy with himself and that is a good thing."

Blackburn held United for large period of the game and it wasn't until the 55th minute that Dimitar Berbatov finally broke the deadlock for the champions.

Wayne Rooney added a second to seal the three points and Ferguson was pleased with his side's attacking edge in the second half.

"The players worked very hard as Blackburn set out their stall," he added. 

"You always get a bit concerned when you haven't scored.

"But we don't panic. We have that experience. We can win games in the 93rd minute.

"You need that patience, though, and we improved our penetration in the second half. That is a strong virtue of this club."

Stephen Darwin, Goal.com UK