Manchester United defender Patrice Evra welcomes the competition provided by the club's talented young defenders, but insisis he is not ready to give up his place in the first team.
Sir Alex Ferguson has put his faith in the likes of Phil Jones, 19, and Chris Smalling, 21, to lead United's defence this season, while Jonny Evans, 23, has also featured regularly.
And with 21-year-old Brazilian twins Fabio and Rafael Da Silva also competing for a starting berth at the back, Evra knows he faces a challenge to hold onto his place as first-choice left-back, which he has held for almost six years.
But the former France captain, who has skippered the reigning Premier League champions on several occasions this season, believes he is capable of maintaining the high standards he has set during his time at the club.
"I'm only 30 but I feel like the oldest player in the team,'' Evra said. "I just have to show the young players that I'm still here and I want to play every game.
"I need to prove I am still fit because they are young. Maybe they have more energy and think they can steal my place.
"Of course, though, you also have to help them and talk to them if anything is wrong. We are here to protect them and to show them that it's easy to reach the top, but to stay there is the most difficult thing.
"But before we can say anything to the young players, we have to show our own example on the pitch because the competition is really fierce. The boss is not afraid to put the young lads in and it's working well.''
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