Marcus Hahnemann kept a clean sheet the last time he played at Old Trafford – but he might turn to jelly if tonight’s Carling Cup tie goes to penalties!

The Wolves keeper, who is expected to replace Wayne Hennessey for the third round clash against Manchester United, was in fine form as he kept out Rooney and Ronaldo two years ago.

“I got on pretty well the last time I played there – we drew 0-0 on the opening day of the (2007-08) season,” said Hahnemann.

“That doesn’t happen very often and I was super-busy.

“You know you’re going to come under pressure and hopefully we don’t go down to 10 men like we (Reading) did that day.

“Dave Kitson came on then got sent off after about two minutes – it was an unbelievable uphill battle. I was trying to kick my goal kicks out for throw-ins – that’s how bad it was.

“We just couldn’t retain the ball and it kept coming back really quickly.

“So I was aiming out wide and when it went out for a throw, it was almost like a breath of fresh air.

“It takes a lot longer to come back that way!”

At 37, Hahnemann sees a bigger picture than a one-off experience tonight, and, with Michael Kightly, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Stefan Maierhofer all starting, Mick McCarthy’s side could resemble a future Wolves Premier League XI.

The keeper sees tonight’s test as an ideal opportunity to showcase themselves. “There’s a lot of us who aren’t playing in the team, and we all want to prove we can play in the league and this will hopefully be our chance to prove it,” he said.

“We just have to be ready and the more games we can get, the better, and the cup games are an ideal opportunity.

“We’re going to come under tonnes of pressure which is great because you can’t really replicate that unless it’s a real match.

“You just don’t get that in a reserve team game.”

“Old Trafford is such a special place – they have won the title so many times – so to go there is as good as it can get really. All the pressure’s going to be on them and we can relax and have fun.”

“In our first year in the Premier League with Reading, we were so determined not to be overawed by going to places such as Liverpool and Manchester United.

“Then when it came to cup games, we were actually drawn against Manchester United (1-1 draw at Old Trafford, 3-2 defeat in replay at Reading) and I was on the bench.

“Sitting there, I actually had a chance to take in all the atmosphere and be part of it. It was a fantastic night, but I had goose bumps the whole time!

“When you’re playing, you have to turn that off and not worry about who you’re playing against and the crowd.”