United's assistant manager Mike Phelan is looking forward to resuming Champions League action against a team he feels is one of the best in Europe.

Since ending the group stage with a 2-2 draw at home to Aalborg in December, the European champions have lost just one of 16 games in all competitions.

With United top of the Premier League and still involved in both domestic cups, confidence couldn't be higher going into Tuesday's Round of 16 first-leg clash with Italian champions Inter Milan at the San Siro.

"The return to European football comes at a nice time for us," Phelan told ManUtd.com. "We’ve had a successful spell of cup and Premier League football, and now we kick on to the big-time European stage.

"We’ve been pitted against one of the top clubs in Europe with a manager who has a great track record, so the challenge is there for both teams."

Inter boss Jose Mourinho knows all about United from his time in charge of Porto and Chelsea, adding spice to what is already shaping up to be an absorbing tie.

"Jose Mourinho has experience of Premier League football and winning the title," Phelan added.

"He’s a European Cup-winning manager so he knows what it is all about. And it’ll be nice to see the contrasting styles of football, the different passions from the fans.

"It’s an intriguing game and tactically it’ll be different to what we’re used to in the league.

"But our players won’t be fazed by the occasion, that’s for sure. There will be 80,000 fans watching in Milan and it’ll be a full house at home, so it has the makings of a great tie."

Internazionale striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic feels the Serie A champions are in good enough form to overcome United in the Champions League.

Sir Alex Ferguson's cup holders visit the San Siro for a second round, first leg clash on Tuesday evening, and the sides will reconvene at Old Trafford 15 days later.

United could hardly have had a tougher draw in the last 16 and, having moved nine points clear at the head of Italy's top flight with victory in the Milan derby last weekend, Swedish star Ibrahimovic simply said: "If we play like this we will beat United."

Inter, who beat Bologna 2-1 on Saturday to maintain their advantage in the race for the Scudetto, won back-to-back Serie A titles under Roberto Mancini, but Ibrahimovic feels the influence of new boss Jose Mourinho is proving telling when it comes to important matches.

"He has changed our mentality a little bit," said the striker.

"We were good when he came but he’s teaching us something new. We have become stronger and better and are hungry for the big games."

Cristiano Ronaldo, rightly crowned the finest footballer on the planet, still has his best form to come this season. This is not only the view of former Reds forward Lou Macari, but also a terrifying prospect for opposition defenders.

The pressure is always on at Old Trafford, and doubly so for the man who picked up the FIFA World Player of the Year award and France Football magazine's prestigious Ballon D'Or in December. This means that for a player who's scored 42 goals en route to helping United secure a Premier League and Champions League double, the queue of doubters predicting it won’t – simply can’t – be done again will be as long as your line of admirers.

A repeat of last season’s astonishing goals tally may not be on the cards, but Ronaldo’s input to the current campaign should be judged in isolation, not in the context of previous years. And Macari is a firm believer that the Portuguese winger, who fired a stunning winner against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, will have a very big say in shaping what the Reds achieve this season.

“Without a doubt his best form is yet to come,” Macari told United Review. “He hasn’t been firing the way he did last season, but that’s understandable. He didn’t have the best start to the season because he missed much of pre-season after the European Championships and, of course, there was the speculation about his future.

“If you’re the best player in the world, the focus is on you. You don’t escape attention, on or off the field. People expected last season’s high standards every single week. But that’s easier said than done. We’re no longer talking about one of United’s best players, he’s the World Player of the Year. And that tag brings closer attention from defenders, more than ever before. You saw against West Ham that he had two or three players around him all the time."

Lou adds: "But Ronaldo likes a challenge, so he’ll be up for it. There are lots of games to come before the end of the season, and as those games become more and more important, Ronaldo will step up to that challenge. The bigger the occasion, the more he’ll want to show why he’s the World Player of the Year.”

As we enter the most crucial stages of the season, Macari feels that Cristiano’s ability to score goals that decide games will come to the fore.

“He has a habit of scoring crucial goals which invariably turn out to be match-winners for the team," says Lou. "And I'm sure there’ll be plenty more of those to come this season.”

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United are reaping the rewards of pitching their youngsters in at the deep end.

The Red Devils boss has never been afraid to give promising talents an opportunity to impress, and continues to operate with that policy in mind.

With the club still on track to claim an unprecedented quintuple this season, Ferguson is aware of the need to have quality cover in every position.

The veteran coach does not concern himself with the age of those he entrusts with generating results, believing that if they are good enough then they are old enough.

The current campaign has seen the likes of Danny Welbeck, Darron Gibson, Rodrigo Possebon, Fabio Da Silva and Rafael Da Silva all burst onto the Old Trafford stage, with their progression into first-team stars testament to the meticulous hard work carried out by Ferguson and his coaching staff.

Quality

"Some time ago, I took a deliberate decision with (former assistant manager) Carlos Queiroz that the way forward with our youngsters was that as soon as we identified they had the quality and temperament to become first team players, then we would bring them into the squad and let them train with the seniors," revealed Ferguson.

"This has made a huge difference to their readiness for the big time and they are able to make the most of a first team chance as and when it comes along."

Ferguson admits training sessions can become crowded with so many players pushing for starting roles, but believes a big squad is an integral part of a successful side.

"This policy we have undertaken has made our training sessions quite hectic and crowded at times but we have the coaching staff to cope," he added.

"It has enabled our young players to step up with more confidence than if they were coming straight out of the reserves and into the first team."

Critics

The legendary United boss also believes that squad rotation is crucial to the development of players on the fringes of the senior side.

"When you pick lads and come a cropper, there will be some people who point a finger and criticise you for fielding a weakened team," said Ferguson.

"But you don't win every match, whatever the strength of your side.

"For the first leg at Derby (in the Carling Cup semi-finals), I am sure some of our critics felt that with a Wembley final just one step away, I should have played all the big guns.

"But I didn't have any regrets because I knew that long-term, the lads wouldn't let me down and that I was pursuing the right policy."

Ben Foster is hoping to erase his injury nightmare on Sunday by helping Manchester United claim the Carling Cup.

The England goalkeeper has been dogged by injuries over the last 18 months, but he is in line to start in goal for United on Sunday.

And Foster hopes a place at Wembley, and subsequent victory, will help him make his mark once again.

"If I do play, it'll be fantastic. To play Sunday would be an unbelievable bonus and a massive up for me," he said.

"It's been heartbreaking to watch United win things when I cannot be involved.

"Sunday could be a stage for me to remind people of what I'm about.

"My England debut was a big one for me and I played in a play-off final so I have some big matches under my belt.

"I dealt with those games reasonably well so, hopefully, this will not be any different.

"I had a reputation as a decent up-and-coming keeper and in the last couple of years, because of circumstances, I have almost faded away.

"Now I seem to be putting a run of fitness together. I'm training every day, my body feels good and I'm playing the odd first-team game.

"Sunday will be a good chance to get my name back out there and people can see that I am still around and still a good goalkeeper."

Injury jinx

Foster has failed to become United's number one, as many expected, due to his horrendous run of injuries.

He suffered ligament damage in the summer of 2007 as he returned to United from a successful loan spell at Watford.

"It has been an absolute nightmare from when I came back from Watford. It just seems to be injury after injury," he continued.

"When I had my cruciate, I knew I was going to be out for a year and that was acceptable.

"But when you get fit and then go over on your ankle and are out for six weeks and are back for a month and you break your thumb - it just seemed to be one thing after another.

"I don't want to be tarnished with the tag of being an injury-prone player. Nobody wants to be tarred with that. It has just been unlucky.

"I broke my thumb, for instance, in training. It was probably the last catch of the session. It was the day before we went to Japan so I missed that trip."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was quick to play down talk of his side winning the quintuple after their Carling Cup final win over Spurs.

They have won the Club World Cup as well and are still chasing the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Ferguson said: "I'm not getting carried away with it, only the media will. We will keep our feet on the ground.

"We could go to Fulham in the FA Cup, the ball comes off someone's backside and we are out of that one."

But Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp believes there is no reason why United cannot win an unprecedented haul of trophies.

"They have got a big chance - they are the team to beat for sure," said Redknapp after their 4-1 defeat on penalties.

"They have a fantastic squad. They have one cup already, it looks as if the league is going their way and you wouldn't bet against them in the Champions League and the FA Cup."

Goalkeeper Ben Foster was the United hero, making two fine saves during the game and then saving Jamie O'Hara's penalty in the shoot-out.

And Ferguson is confident Foster can go on to cement his place as the number one stopper at the club.

"The future is his," added the Scot. "The present belongs to Edwin Van der Sar, that is obvious, but that performance can only strengthen my opinion of Ben's ability and his own self-confidence.

"He is a strong character - he has had to be. He has had to come through two cruciate ligament injuries and you have to have something inside you to do that."

United's assistant manager Mike Phelan paid tribute to Foster and his team-mates for keeping alive the club's hunt for an unprecedented quintuple.

"In the end it came down to the goalkeepers and our one made a great save," said Phelan.

"Ben has been unlucky with the odd injury this season, but we know he's got quality and he can be a Man Utd goalkeeper.

"It is important he gets games for us and what happened today can only help us.

"It was a hard game and both sets of players were shattered at the end, they were cramping but they kept going and it's a good feeling when you win on penalties."

Foster, playing in only his seventh game of the season for United, was delighted to play his part in the win.

"I felt good from the start. I haven't played many games which isn't great, but it was great of the gaffer to give me a chance today," said Foster.

"All the lads are heroes, they had to knock in the penalties and they looked super-cool, they all looked like they were going to score.

"If they hadn't, we wouldn't have our medals. I'm delighted we managed to win."

Ever the model professional, Ryan Giggs insisted United's focus will not be diluted with two pieces of silverware already won this season.

The Reds added the Carling Cup to the Club World Cup with a penalty shootout over Tottenham, but Giggs was quick to play down talk of an unprecedented five-trophy Quintuple.

"There's a long way to go in all the trophies," the veteran told Sky Sports. "We've just got to keep the same desire, play as well as we have done. We've played better than we did today, but we won so that's what it's all about."

The Welshman did admit, however, that victory at Wembley can prolong the feelgood factor to propel United through the remainder of a congested season.

"It's a cup final so obviously we wanted to win it, and then kick on from there really," said the 35-year-old. "That's what we did with the Club World Cup, so hopefully we can show the same form after winning this."

Having emerged from 120 sapping minutes on a heavy pitch with the Carling Cup in tow, United's players delighted the coaching staff with their stamina and resolve at Wembley Stadium.

Assistant manager Mick Phelan was impressed to see the Reds overcome reigning cup holders Tottenham, and says the players reaped the rewards of their hard yards.

"This was a hard game," he told BBC Sport. "I don't think the pitch helped, it was heavy, but that's the way it goes sometimes. You have to go through that and we did.

"It's difficult. It's emotion and everything else. The supporters will you on. We wanted to win, they wanted to win and it's important you try to keep going. We're on the touchline urging them to keep running, and it's a credit to them that they kept going.

"I thought both teams kept at it. There was cramp in both camps at the end there. To go to penalties is the nature of the game, but we're happy we've won it."

With two major trophies won, there are still three more up for grabs. Nobody in the United camp is getting carried away, however, and Phelan somewhat understatedly said: "We're in the running for a good season if we carry on like this."

Goalkeeper Ben Foster was thankful to Sir Alex Ferguson for giving him the chance to become United's Wembley hero.

The England international, making just his seventh club appearance, made a vital save from Tottenham's Aaron Lennon in normal time before saving Jamie O'Hara's effort in the trophy-clinching penalty shootout.

"The Gaffer's been very brave today," Foster told MUTV. "He could've just put the usuals in and it could have been a bit easier for us, but he's kept faith with the young lads all the way through.

"I thought it went well considering I haven't played many games this season. I always go out there and try to be confident with the things I feel I'm best at. I've got to say a massive thanks to him and thankfully we've won the trophy for him as well."

Foster was in modest mood after his role in the Reds' shootout triumph, preferring to salute the unwavering nerve of Messrs Giggs, Tevez, Ronaldo and Anderson, who all successfully converted their kicks in a 4-1 win.

"As a goalkeeper there's not too much pressure, to be honest with you," he said. "You've got to stand there and hopefully guess the right way, so it's win-win really.

"The pressure's on the lads out there. Our lads were fantastic with their penalties, they put them away with conviction and never looked like missing them."

Sir Alex Ferguson praised his cool, confident and capable players after their prowess at penalties won his third League Cup as United manager.

Spot-kicks seemed inevitable when Cristiano Ronaldo crashed a shot against the post in the final seconds of normal time; tired opponents Tottenham seemed content to play out the extra 30 minutes, bar one attack when Ben Foster saved from Darren Bent with his feet. But Foster's best moment was still to come - stopping Jamie O'Hara's penalty for Spurs.

"Ben Foster made a fantastic first save which gave us a big lift," said Sir Alex. "He's so quick, brave and strong. I think he'll be England's next goalkeeper for many years.

"And while he had a great day, our players took their penalties very confidently."

Appropriately for St David's Day, it was the Welsh wizard Ryan Giggs who converted the first penalty in off the post. It followed his fine extra-time shift in central midfield, as a substitute for young Darron Gibson who had started and completed the 90 minutes.

"We had the experience of Scholes and Ferdinand, and then Giggs in extra-time and they didn't panic," said Sir Alex, assessing the important role of his senior players.

"Vidic also came on and stabilised the team. That's what experienced players do."

Much of the pre-match focus was on the young players to whom Sir Alex had promised a place in the starting line-up - especially Gibson and Danny Welbeck; less so Jonny Evans who, according to the boss, has already "proved himself time and time again."

"When I took Danny off ten minutes into the second half, I said to him, 'You can be proud of your first final.' It will give him the drive and the incentive to play in more," said Sir Alex.

The manager was clearly proud that his policy of playing young players in every round of the Carling Cup had paid off handsomely.

"The end-product you always hope for is to win the competition. It's great for the young players because they've experienced something that young players seldom get the opportunity to do."

While Sir Alex enjoyed collecting his latest trophy - his 24th as Reds boss, even if you exclude his Community Shields - his thoughts are already turning to the next league game, away to Newcastle United on Wednesday night.

"To be honest, I could have done without that extra time and I expect Tottenham will be saying the same because we've both got tough games on Wednesday.

"I'll have to freshen up, obviously, because the league and also the Champions League are still the priorities.

"Newcastle will be a very tough game for us. I love the atmosphere of that ground, they've got great support up there. We'll have to make sure we're ready, energised and fresh for that one."

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson admits that Carling cup success on the back of Liverpool's slip-up in the Premier League made his weekend all the more sweet.

United defeated Tottenham 4-1 on penalties at Wembley on Sunday to secure their second piece of silverware of the season following December's Fifa Club World Cup glory.

The Red Devils, who are well placed in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, have their eyes on an unprecedented quintuple as they also look certain to retain their Premier League title.

Rivals Liverpool slumped to defeat at Middlesbrough on Saturday to leave United seven points clear, with a game in hand, and Ferguson - who takes his side to Newcastle on Wednesday - confesses that a cup win was the icing on the cake on a memorable weekend.

"It (winning the cup) makes it a good weekend, in the sense that one of your opponents has dropped points," the Scot told Sky Sports.

"I don't think anyone is any different. When one of your opponents drops points you are delighted. It is a horrible game like that.

"But we could drop points on Wednesday and our opponents could win their games. Who knows?"

Ferguson, who has now lifted the League Cup on three occasions, recognises United were not at their best against Tottenham, but believes a never-say-die attitude proved decisive.

"Every time we get a piece of silver it adds to the history of the club, and today it was proved that cup finals are not easy," he added.

"We were not at our best today and Tottenham probably had the better chances in the match.

"But we kept going. I think that is a quality, I've no doubt about that."