Aston Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald praised the performance of his youngsters following their draw against Rapid Vienna.

The Scot, who is in temporary charge following Martin O'Neill's shock departure earlier this month, once again gave youth a chance against the Austrian side in a 1-1 draw at the Gerhard Hernappi Stadion.

MacDonald fielded youth team graduates Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan, Jonathan Hogg and Eric Lichaj from the start and was immediately rewarded, with Albrighton setting up Bannan to score an early opener.

Despite the impressive Albrighton and Bannan being withdrawn due to fatigue, MacDonald insisted that his choices were justified and was proud of his players.

"I'm very proud indeed," said MacDonald when asked for his feelings on his young players.

"It was an education for the boys, who played in patches, but I was pleased with all of them because it's not an easy place to come.

"But it was gratifying to score a goal away from home, with the two of them (Bannan and Albrighton) doing very well.

"It was a good finish, a good goal, and I'm sure you could see the elation in their faces when we did score.

Camaraderie"There's a very strong camaraderie amongst that group of players."

MacDonald has been praised for his willingness to persist with some of Villa's younger stars, prompting many, including captain Stiliyan Petrov, to appeal to owner Randy Lerner to reward him with a full-time role.

However, the former youth coach would not be drawn on his future, stating that he did not know whether he wanted the position on a permanent basis.

"I still don't know about that," said the 49-year-old.

"It was good, but I don't know how good it was. Sat down there (in the dugout) you don't see everything.

"I'll have a look at the video because it's not just the play, it's reacting to the place you're in that gives you an education."

West Ham line up £2.5m bid for Luke Young

Manager Avram Grant is desperate to sign a right back before the end of August after West Ham failed to bring in a replacement when Lucas Neill left the club.

Young was recently linked with a move to Liverpool, but despite the two clubs agreeing a fee, reports suggested he was not keen to move up north and would favour a move back to London.

The 31-year-old enjoyed successful spells with Tottenham and Charlton and would be guaranteed first-team football at Upton Park.

West Ham’s defensive problems continued as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat against Villa on the opening day of the season.

Grant is keen to bring in some big name signings and has the backing of his co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan.