Phil Jones is relishing the prospect of making his Champions League debut against Benfica on Wednesday night.

The summer signing from Blackburn was outstanding at right-back against Bolton and admits the thrill of competing against Europe’s elite was a factor in him trading Ewood Park for Old Trafford.

"I’m looking forward to it," he enthused to MUTV. "It is one of the main reasons why I came to Manchester United - to play Champions League football and test my ability against some of the best players in the world. If I get picked, I’ll look forward to the challenge.

"As defenders we always want to keep a clean sheet and it is a massive boost for us at Bolton, especially going into the Benfica match on Wednesday which is going to be a tough game, and then we have got Chelsea at the weekend."

Jones concedes he’d rather be playing with Javier Hernandez than against the Mexican, who proved he is back to his best with a splendid double at The Reebok in his first start of the new campaign.

"He is an unbelievable talent," added the defender. "Everybody knows what he is capable of and it is not a one-off as he does it week in, week out. We see it in training as well. He is a great player and a terrific player to have in your side.

"I play against him in training and sometimes he is un-defendable. He is so sharp in and around the box. Defenders find it hard to pick him up and he pops up with goals like he did on Saturday."

After Hernandez marked his Champions League debut with a winning goal at Valencia last term, Jones will probably be targeting a clean sheet first and foremost if he does make his bow in Lisbon.

Although United’s young team have made a flying start to the season, Sir Alex Ferguson intends to field a more experienced side for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League opener against Benfica.

The manager believes Wednesday's away match will be the toughest fixture in Group C and feels that countering Benfica’s midfield will provide the sternest challenge for his team.

“The opening game is the toughest for us," said Sir Alex. "Benfica are always a handful and we always expect a difficult game. I watched a couple of their games away from home last season and they were absolutely brilliant.

“I think the hardest part for us will be picking the midfield in that particular game. That area will be the biggest challenge. They operate with three midfield players in there. They don’t play anyone off the front. They play three actual midfield players so we’ll have to have a look at that.”

Much praise has been reserved for the youngsters in the United side this season but Sir Alex says that more experienced players will be involved at the Estadio da Luz. His hand will be forced anyway by the loss of Tom Cleverley, who was injured in the first half of Saturday's 5-0 win at Bolton and replaced by Michael Carrick.

“My team in Lisbon might be different on an issue of experience," Sir Alex said. "We’ve also got Darren Fletcher back fit. He’s looking good and did well with Scotland last week. I think we’ll need to have more experience in the game.

“The important thing is to qualify. Benfica away from home is the kind of the game you have to respect.”