Sir Alex Ferguson: Manchester United "want to win" Europa League

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that he wants to win the Europa League.

United, who were eliminated from the Champions League group stages after a 2-1 defeat to FC Basel in December, finished in third place in Group C and were demoted to the Europa League. However, the Scot vows that he will still field his strongest side.

"We definitely want to win this tournament," he said. "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.

"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."

The Red Devils have failed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League three times in the last 16 seasons.