Manchester United legend Paul Scholes says winning IS important at youth level. Scholes explained in the London Evening Standard: "Some people say that winning is not that important in youth development. I disagree. You learn about being a footballer by playing matches and you learn about winning by winning those games. Playing at United, in the Under-16s and Under-18s, we were expected to win every week. My contemporaries, people like Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs, were born and bred winners, and that was the way United liked it.

"Winning games prepared us for the first team where we are expected to win every time we stepped on the pitch. It is a nice idea to say to kids "it doesn't matter about the result" but when you become a professional you quickly realise that is all that matters. The sooner you get the winning mentality, the better."