United Teen Wants Champions League Action

Sir Alex Ferguson may have said that he will be relying primarily on experienced players in this Champions League campaign, but Manchester United youngster Nick Powell still believes he can make an impact in Europe this season.

The Red Devils were ousted from the top-tier European competition in embarrassing style last year, going out in the group stages as a result of a shock loss to Swiss outfit Basel.

As a result, Ferguson admitted he hadn't taken the early stages of the tournament seriously enough, and pledged to use more seasoned players this season.

Although Powell was purchased with thoughts of being a star of the future, the 18-year-old shone on his debut against Wigan, scoring one of United's four goals in their commanding win, and he now hopes Ferguson will hand him the chance to do the same throughout Europe.

"Growing up I always watched a lot of United in the competition and I can't wait to be involved - it's one of the biggest competitions around," he told the United website.

"Obviously everyone wants to win the Premier League, but being the best in Europe would be a great thing.

"The team want to improve after what happened last season and we'll all be pushing hard to do well."

For Powell, the move from then-League Two side Crewe to United in the summer has been a massive step up, and he admits that the chance to play in the Champions League has been one of his lifetime goals.

"It's a competition I've dreamt of playing in," he explained. "When you watch the likes of United, Real Madrid and Barcelona, you want to play against them because they're the best in the world.

"I'm just looking forward to experiencing the whole atmosphere of the games. You can get a lot of lively atmospheres in Europe - I've heard all about the Galatasaray fans and how much noise they make. Hopefully it will be a good game on Wednesday."

Ryan Giggs has been candid in his experiences of Turkish football fans, with the stalwart saying it was a complete culture shock when he first visited Istanbul in 1993.

And it will no doubt be a big shock to the system for Powell too, as he looks to be part of yet another generation of stars under Ferguson.