“We are Manchester United and we’re not scared of anyone,” says Morgan Schneiderlin, the French summer signing who can’t wait to begin the Champions League Group B campaign against PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and Wolfsburg.
The Reds secured a 7-1 play-off victory over Club Brugge earlier this week and Louis van Gaal’s men discovered their group-stage opponents during Thursday’s draw in Monaco, France.
Schneiderlin and team-mate Ashley Young were both
attending a special adidas event in Marseille while names were being drawn from the hat and both gave their exclusive reaction to ManUtd.com, speaking about the different challenges ahead and United's European ambitions this campaign...MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN…
On playing in the Champions League for the first time: “One of the big reasons I joined this club was to play Champions League football. I’ve been dreaming of this all my life. Now I’m 25 years old and I’m looking forward to the competition very much. We’ve got through the qualifying stage in a good manner and now we have a good group that I’m confident of getting through. We’re all very keen to put in some big performances on the biggest stage in the world.”
On United’s Group B opponents: “They are three very good teams. People may look at the group and think it will be easy for Manchester United because we have avoided the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Of course it could have been worse, but these are three very good teams. PSV are champions of Holland, Wolfsburg finished second behind Bayern and won the German Cup and then we have CSKA Moscow, which is never an easy place to go and play. We know it’s a long trip, we know the atmosphere will be hostile, but we’re looking forward to it. Our aim is to finish top of our group and then go from there. We have big expectations for the Champions League this season.”
On United’s hopes and expectations in Europe: “For us the most important thing is to play well in the group stage. If we do that and qualify for the knockout stages we’re bound to come up against those big sides. When that comes around we’ll be ready for whoever we face. We’re Manchester United and we’re not scared of anyone."
On Memphis Depay returning to former club PSV: "He’ll be looking forward to it, for sure. He did very well at PSV but now he’s at United and wants to make his mark in England. Knowing him he’ll like to play well and put on a show, but first and foremost he’ll make sure he’s focused and working hard for the team. We all need to treat it like it’s just another game. There will be a lot of emotions for him and I’m sure he’ll enjoy going back to his old club."
On playing in the Champions League for the first time: “One of the big reasons I joined this club was to play Champions League football. I’ve been dreaming of this all my life. Now I’m 25 years old and I’m looking forward to the competition very much. We’ve got through the qualifying stage in a good manner and now we have a good group that I’m confident of getting through. We’re all very keen to put in some big performances on the biggest stage in the world.”
On United’s Group B opponents: “They are three very good teams. People may look at the group and think it will be easy for Manchester United because we have avoided the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Of course it could have been worse, but these are three very good teams. PSV are champions of Holland, Wolfsburg finished second behind Bayern and won the German Cup and then we have CSKA Moscow, which is never an easy place to go and play. We know it’s a long trip, we know the atmosphere will be hostile, but we’re looking forward to it. Our aim is to finish top of our group and then go from there. We have big expectations for the Champions League this season.”
On United’s hopes and expectations in Europe: “For us the most important thing is to play well in the group stage. If we do that and qualify for the knockout stages we’re bound to come up against those big sides. When that comes around we’ll be ready for whoever we face. We’re Manchester United and we’re not scared of anyone."
On Memphis Depay returning to former club PSV: "He’ll be looking forward to it, for sure. He did very well at PSV but now he’s at United and wants to make his mark in England. Knowing him he’ll like to play well and put on a show, but first and foremost he’ll make sure he’s focused and working hard for the team. We all need to treat it like it’s just another game. There will be a lot of emotions for him and I’m sure he’ll enjoy going back to his old club."
ASHLEY YOUNG...
On United’s Group B opponents: “Everybody knows every game in the Champions League is going to be tough. The one that stands out is probably CSKA Moscow. Moscow’s a place that holds a lot of good memories for United fans – plenty of them were over there in 2008 for the Champions League final – so it will be good to go back there for them. Of course, it’s a long flight and we’ll need to make sure we deal with that correctly, particularly because we’ve got a tough home game against Manchester City that weekend. But that’s the nature of the Champions League. Wolfsburg finished second in the Bundesliga last season. We know they’re a good team so that’s going to be difficult as well. And PSV will be a tough place to start. But I’m confident we can go there and get three points to get the ball rolling and give us a platform to qualify from the group.”
On returning to the Champions League: “It feels great to be back in the Champions League. Every player wants to be playing on that stage. Last season was tough, sitting at home and watching on TV. It was disappointing but to bring those nights back to Old Trafford is fantastic and everyone’s looking forward to it. There’s an extra little buzz around the place as well because we’ve got some new players at the club and they’re ready for their first taste of the competition. We’re all excited.”
On the travel involved: “I don’t think any club are playing three games on their doorstep – flying long distances is just part of the Champions League. Yes, it can be tough when you come back from a Champions League trip and you’ve got a domestic away game, but it’s part and parcel of the game. We’re not going to complain - we’re back in the Champions League and we’re looking forward to it.”
On United’s European ambitions: “We’re definitely confident. We know the games will be tough but we’re confident we can go away from home and get points and then win our games at Old Trafford. That should see us through our group and then we take it from there. We always set targets for the season and being back in the Champions League was one of them. We got past Brugge to achieve that and now we’re aiming to bring trophies back to United. That’s what everybody at this club wants. We want trophies and, fingers crossed, by the end of the season, we’ll have done that.”
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