David Moyes: Champions League glory is always Manchester United's aim

David Moyes says he is targeting nothing less than Manchester United's fourth European crown this season.

 

Sir Alex Ferguson's successor appeared to play down United's chances of winning the competition at the weekend, admitting he does not have the "five or six world-class players" a victorious squad needs.

 

But ahead of Wednesday's Group A meeting with Shakhtar Donetsk, Moyes argued he would be defaulting on his duties as a United manager if he did not aim for glory in Lisbon next May.

 

"Of course we'll try to win the Champions League," said the Scot, who has overseen three defeats in his opening six Premier League games as boss.

 

"That's part of the job at Manchester United and I'll do everything I can to try to make that happen."

 

Rio Ferdinand has a minor groin injury and did not travel with the United squad, although Moyes was planning to rest the centre-half in any case.

 

"Rio has a slight groin problem," said the Scot. "It is nothing serious but I was never bringing him anyway."

 

Anderson, Fabio and Wilfried Zaha were also left in Manchester, but Robin van Persie is fit to start after coming off the bench during Saturday's defeat to West Brom.

 

"He is fit," said Moyes. "We will make a decision whether we start him or not. He is as good as anybody I have seen. His football common-sense is fantastic and he is a great goalscorer."

 

 

"I have been in situations very similar to this at my old clubs Everton and also at Preston. The results will come. I have no doubt about that."

David Moyes

 

 

And Moyes insists United will turn around their depressing start to his tenure after the defending Premier League champions slithered into the bottom half of the table following their worst start to a campaign since 1989.

 

"I have been in situations very similar to this at my old clubs Everton and also at Preston," he said.

 

"You get on and you do the right things. I haven't changed what I have done. I will continue to do that. The results will come. I have no doubt about that."

 

Moyes may not have taken too kindly to the intense scrutiny being placed not just on results, but his public utterances and he bristled when informed Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu had questioned his recent squad rotation.

 

"It never caused Sir Alex Ferguson any problem when he did it," he said.

 

 

Henry Winter, Shaun Custis and Andy Dunn assess how David Moyes is adjusting to life with the Premier League champions. But this is the high-profile role Moyes put himself forward for when he answered the call from Ferguson last spring, and the point was made again when fans turned out to greet his team in their arrival in Donetsk on Tuesday evening.

 

"It is always the thing at Manchester United," said Moyes. "Everyone is interested in them. It is a talking point for everybody throughout the world. That is why it is, for me, the greatest club.

 

"It is a great honour to be the manager. Even our arrival here in Donetsk has been greeted with a lot of supporters at the airport. It is a great thing."

 

- SkySports