NEWCASTLE (AFP) -- Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have been handed a vote of confidence by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as the club's bright young talents begin to heap pressure on the two Old Trafford legends.

Ferguson, whose United team travel to Newcastle on Saturday, surprisingly substituted Giggs and Scholes midway through the second-half of Wednesday's Champions League draw against Lyon in France.
Giggs, 34, and Scholes, 33, have been key figures at United for over a decade, but the emergence of Portuguese winger Nani and Brazilian midfielder Anderson, signed from Sporting Lisbon and Porto respectively last May, has placed question marks over their status as first-team regulars for the first time in their long careers.
Ferguson, however, insists that both Giggs and Scholes remain crucial to his plans and he claims the pair can still produce the goods at the top level for two more years at least.
The United boss said: “The experience of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes is going to be very important. Ryan has two years left on his contract and Paul has a similar amount remaining.
“They will be good years because they have looked after themselves, but we've got younger players to play alongside them, so the balance is right in that respect. It's difficult to say how long they'll last, though.
“The one thing that they have to do is steer clear of injuries. Paul has had a few injuries and the eye problem that affected him a couple of years ago, but Ryan is in fantastic shape as he's never had a really serious injury.
“In terms of their lifestyles and how they look after themselves, you'd think Ryan and Paul could play on for another couple of years.”
United head to St James' Park needing a win to keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal, who hold a five-point advantage over the champions.
Newcastle are still searching for their first victory under Kevin Keegan since the former England manager returned for a second spell in charge of the club last month.
The winless streak under Keegan is one motivational factor for the home side, but the 6-0 hammering suffered at the hands of United at Old Trafford just five weeks ago is likely to be at the forefront of Newcastle minds on Saturday.
Newcastle winger Damien Duff said: “We haven't forgotten what happened when we played United away. We went in at half-time at 0-0, which isn't a bad achievement for most teams, but we all know what happened after that.
“We have had two weeks to work on things in training and produce some quality, though. It's been hard work and we've been pushed all the way by the manager.”
Goalkeeper Steve Harper is on course to make his 100th appearance for Newcastle with first-choice Shay Given struggling to overcome a groin injury, and he admits he is relishing the opportunity to face the champions.
Harper said: “If required and it's me who is selected against Manchester United it would be great.
“I will be doing everything possible to stay in the team, but that is something that anybody would expect. We've just got to show a response on the pitch, though, and make sure we perform this time.”