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Sir Alex Ferguson looking forward to running rule over Ajax's Christian Eriksen & insists Manchester United are in Europa League to win it
Scot says he will field his strongest line-up against the Dutch side, since the Red Devils have already been knocked out of the FA Cup and do not have a fixture this weekend
12 Feb 2012 12:53:00
By Adithya Ananth
Getty
Sir Alex Ferguson has fired a warning shot that Manchester United are in it to win it when it comes to the Europa League.
The Red Devils began their continental compaign in the Champions League, but finished third in their group and were flushed down into Europe's second tier competition.
They now take on Ajax in the round of 32 in the knockout stage of the tournament, with the first leg of a double header set to take place on Thursday.
"We definitely want to win this tournament," said Sir Alex, according to The Sunday Mirror.
"I am treating this seriously. We’re going to have a go.
"The thing is to look forward to it. It’s still European football, it’s still a good standard of football."
United's elimination from the FA Cup also means that they do not have a fixture over the weekend, and the Scot insisted that this will see him field his best available line-up for the clash against the Dutch club.
"The great thing is that we don’t have a game on the Saturday, so I can play my strongest team – and I will play my strongest team," said Sir Alex.
"The name of Ajax still has that aura about it. They are not having a great time at the moment and their directors have resigned, but I think playing against United they’ll be well motivated.
"Like ourselves, they have always produced good players and played good football.
"They have a great stadium and great pitch. Hopefully we can get through.
"If we do, we play Athletic Bilbao or Lokomotiv Moscow in the next round, so that would be a challenge, but then it takes you to the quarter-finals and once you get that far you say to yourself: ‘let’s go the whole road’.
"I’ll treat it as I treated some of the group games in the Champions League, but be a bit more careful with the number of young players I play in these games.
"It depends who we’ve got the following weekend in the Premier League."
The Red Devils have been linked with young Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen in the past, while Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Barcelona have also been linked with his services at one time or another.
"There’s been a lot of attention on him," the 70-year-old manager said.
"Everybody’s been watching him. We’ll see what he’s like."
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The Red Devils began their continental compaign in the Champions League, but finished third in their group and were flushed down into Europe's second tier competition.
They now take on Ajax in the round of 32 in the knockout stage of the tournament, with the first leg of a double header set to take place on Thursday.
"We definitely want to win this tournament," said Sir Alex, according to The Sunday Mirror.
"I am treating this seriously. We’re going to have a go.
"The thing is to look forward to it. It’s still European football, it’s still a good standard of football."
United's elimination from the FA Cup also means that they do not have a fixture over the weekend, and the Scot insisted that this will see him field his best available line-up for the clash against the Dutch club.
"The great thing is that we don’t have a game on the Saturday, so I can play my strongest team – and I will play my strongest team," said Sir Alex.
"The name of Ajax still has that aura about it. They are not having a great time at the moment and their directors have resigned, but I think playing against United they’ll be well motivated.
"Like ourselves, they have always produced good players and played good football.
"They have a great stadium and great pitch. Hopefully we can get through.
"If we do, we play Athletic Bilbao or Lokomotiv Moscow in the next round, so that would be a challenge, but then it takes you to the quarter-finals and once you get that far you say to yourself: ‘let’s go the whole road’.
"I’ll treat it as I treated some of the group games in the Champions League, but be a bit more careful with the number of young players I play in these games.
"It depends who we’ve got the following weekend in the Premier League."
The Red Devils have been linked with young Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen in the past, while Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Barcelona have also been linked with his services at one time or another.
"There’s been a lot of attention on him," the 70-year-old manager said.
"Everybody’s been watching him. We’ll see what he’s like."
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
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| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
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