Chris Eagles left Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night clutching Joe Cole's shirt.

Now, the Manchester United midfielder's aim is to emulate his boyhood hero by climbing to the top of the Premiership tree.

At 21, Eagles has reached an age where Cole had already played for his country.

Although such honours are a long way off for the Hemel Hempstead-born player, he has every reason to be encouraged by his performances for United over the last couple of weeks.

To some, it seemed a year at Watford, followed by half a season in Holland with NEC Nijmegen effectively signalled his imminent departure from Old Trafford.

However, with injuries starting to bite and Sir Alex Ferguson eager to give some of his senior men a bit of a rest as the hunt for silverware intensified, Eagles now looks to have made a major breakthrough.

A first Premiership goal - a well-taken effort at Everton last month - was followed by an eye-catching display against Chelsea last night on his first league start.

The performances might have come too late to squeeze him on to the bench for the FA Cup final meeting with Chelsea at Wembley on May 19, but Sir Alex Ferguson has identified Eagles as a talent for the future and the youngster seems certain to be given more opportunities to emulate his hero next term.

"I have always looked up to Joe Cole, ever since I was a youngster," said Eagles.

"I used to play for London Schools like him. When he was 16 I was only about nine but I used to watch him and admire him. He was a good player even then.

"You could say he is one of my idols. After the game I asked him for his shirt and he asked for mine. Hopefully, he will save it like I will save his."

In total, Eagles has made 11 senior appearances for the Red Devils stretching across four seasons since he made his debut in a League Cup win over Leeds in October 2003.

Since then, most of the midfielder's football education has come away from Old Trafford as Ferguson has opted to allow Eagles to continue his development at Watford (twice), Sheffield Wednesday, and Nijmegen.

Yet his industrious performance against a far more exerienced Chelsea outfit, and his willingness to try and match their physical approach, suggests plenty of lessons have been learned.

And, while time is not exactly on his side in the drive to become a first-team regular, Eagles is determined to enjoy every moment.

"It is fantastic to be involved," he said.

"Even getting asked to travel with the first-team squad is good.

"When I came back from Holland at Christmas I started off playing in the reserves, which I loved.

"But I was determined to make sure the gaffer knew I was back so he wanted me in his squad."

If nothing else, Eagles has enjoyed the unique experience of being applauded onto the field by Chelsea's guard of honour.

Even though his two Premiership appearances will not be enough to earn him a medal, his champion entrance is something Eagles is unlikely to forget in a hurry.

"I was so proud," he beamed.

"You look all the Chelsea players in the eye and you knew they were gutted to do it. But it was something special."

With only Sunday's key encounter with West Ham to come before the Wembley showdown with Chelsea, realistically, Eagles knows his next United appearance is likely to come on their pre-season tour to the far east.

However, just by being around some of United's superstar names, the youngster feels he is improving.

"Sometimes it can be quite hard for a young player coming into the team but the lads have all been brilliant to me," he said.

"You learn stuff from people like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney every day.

"To play alongside them is just fantastic."