Rooney Wants Europa League Glory

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney insists he wants to win the Europa League after crashing out of the Champions League at the group stage.

United dropped into Uefa's secondary competition, where they could play on Thursdays and domestically on Sundays.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson described it as a "penalty for not qualifying".

Rooney, 26, said: "I don't think the manager's won the Europa League, so I'm sure he'll want to win it. Every competition we enter we want to win."

After making three of the last four Champions League finals, beating Chelsea on penalties in 2008 before losing to Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, dropping into the Europa League is a big blow for United.

Rooney does not want to dwell on the disappointment of their shock exit.

And he dismissed any suggestion that the club would not be taking the competition seriously.

The England striker told the club's official website: "It's a shame we're out of the Champions League. That's what we all want to play in.

"Unfortunately we went out and now we turn our attention to the Premier League and Europa League.

"There are some good teams but we have to believe, keep working and hopefully we can go on and win it."

United are the first team to be knocked out at the group stage the season after reaching the final and it is only the third time in 17 years that they have departed Europe's elite club competition at this stage.

After losing 2-1 in Basle to confirm their place in the Europa League, Ferguson said: "It's a competition I've never been in with United.

"It does mean Sundays right through and Thursday-Sunday matches. That has to be dealt with."

DID YOU KNOW?
Manchester United never went beyond the quarter-final stage in the Uefa Cup, the tournament that preceded the Europa League. They were knocked out in the first round on four of six attempts.