Many a youngster has been hailed as “the next big thing” at Old Trafford without threatening to live up to that billing, but after a first senior goal and a sound defensive display in a rare outing, against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League, Gerard Piqué is considered ready to force his way into the first-team reckoning at Manchester United, regardless of who might try to stand in his way.

Piqué, 20, is too raw to have any hope of dislodging Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic, who signed a lucrative new five-year contract yesterday, but Sir Alex Ferguson believes that the young Spaniard is ready to ask questions of those in front of him in the queue for a first-team place, such as Wes Brown, who has yet to agree a new contract, Mikaël Silvestre, who is unlikely to play again before March after damaging knee ligaments in September, and John O’Shea.

Piqué has had to be patient since joining United in July 2004 as a graduate from the Barcelona youth academy from which Arsenal signed Cesc Fàbregas. His appearance in the 4-0 victory over Kiev on Wednesday, in place of the rested Ferdinand, was only his sixteenth in all competitions for United, but Ferguson has indicated that there will be many more as the youngster looks to build on the progress he made last season while on loan to Real Zaragoza.

Barcelona joined Zaragoza in trying to sign Piqué in the summer but Ferguson, aware of how much the defender had developed during his year away from Old Trafford, blocked all such bids. “I’m not surprised so many Spanish clubs want him,” Ferguson said. “Zaragoza tried to buy him in the summer and they offered a lot of money for him, but he has a future here. He’s 20, he can play centre midfield and right back as well as his favoured position of central defence. We have absolutely no intention of letting him go.

“Gerard came through Barcelona’s youth set-up with Fàbregas, who obviously made his breakthrough [for Arsenal] much younger, but we had to point out to Gerard that his physique was nothing like as advanced as Fàbregas and he has to strengthen up. That was what his loan spell was all about, strengthening up, because centre backs needs to be strong, and he and his parents understood that.

“Gerard understands perfectly well that because the form of Ferdinand and Vidic is so good and that they are such tremendous players he is going to have to wait a bit. But waiting is not a problem for a 20-year-old and there will be many more opportunities when he will play because I need to rest defenders.”

Piqué can expect at least a couple more tastes of Champions Leagueaction, at home to Sporting Lisbon and away to AS Roma, with United having secured their place in the knockout stages with victory over Kiev. Ferguson says that winning the group remains a priority for his team, but he will look to use the remaining group games to rest some of his senior men while giving opportunities to players such as Piqué, Danny Simpson, Jonny Evans, Nani, Anderson and Tomasz Kuszczak, the goalkeeper.

Vidic is among those due a rest after his fine start to the season, but the Serbia defender has also been rewarded with a new contract worth £60,000 a week in recognition of his progress since joining United from Spartak Moscow in January 2006.