GRAEME Souness had leaped to the defence of midfield man Amady Faye in the face of criticism from the United fans.

The former Portsmouth ball-winner produced a Man-of-the-Match performance in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at St. James' Park.

And Souness declared: "There seems to be a feeling that Amady Faye is not a good football player. But I thought he was the best player on the park today.

"As a central midfield player, Amady Faye is a really good player - and I wish people would understand that.

"Not many midfield players enjoy playing against Amady Faye. And I felt he was the best player we had - on a day when there were some good performances."