Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that the club have a "great chance" of winning the Europa League this season.
Ferguson oversaw the most successful period in United's history, including winning two Champions League titles, but the Europa League/UEFA Cup remains the only major European trophy that the club has never won.
The Red Devils are favourites to go all the way in this year's competition having drawn Anderlecht in the quarter-finals, though, and Ferguson believes that the promise of Champions League football for the winners adds an even bigger incentive.
"The thing is, we've never won the Europa League. We've never won [the] UEFA Cup, what it used to be. And we've got a great draw. I'm not saying it's a certainty, but they've got a great chance," he told ESPN FC.
"If you win a trophy, it's important. It doesn't matter that it's not the Champions League - it's still a European trophy. And if you win it, you get into the Champions League. The incentive is greater to do that.
"And your CV gets bigger. If we won the Europa League? Fantastic. Add it to the European Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup, the Champions League - it's bigger and bigger. We also want to be the most successful club in England."
Manchester United's previous best performance in the UEFA Cup or Europa League came in 1984-85, when they were eliminated by Videoton on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Barney Corkhill
