Powell Poised For Europe

After a dream debut for the Reds in the Barclays Premier League, Nick Powell has turned his attentions to making his mark in the Champions League.

The 18-year-old came off the bench to net a fine fourth goal in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Wigan on his Reds’ bow, prompting Sir Alex to hail him as the man to “fill Paul Scholes’ boots” in the future.

Having spent years watching the Reds on TV in the Champions League, Powell is hoping to experience the competition for himself in the coming few months as United look to successfully navigate their way through the group stages.

“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 ManUtd.com. “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.

“It's a competition I've dreamt of playing in. 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,” he added.

“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.”