Manchester United's major title rivals are both starting to make an impact on the continent as English football bids to oust Spain as the most feared country in Europe.

Liverpool followed up United's thrilling 1999 Champions League triumph with an equally nerve-wracking UEFA Cup final victory over Alaves two years later.

This season Arsenal appear to have found the secret to translating their domestic form the European stage, smashing four past PSV in Eindhoven last week.

Ferguson, whose side bid to extend a 16-match Champions League unbeaten streak when they entertain Olympiakos at Old Trafford tonight, welcomed the improvement in England's elite and insisted his team were not ready to rest on their laurels yet either.

``We all want to see English teams doing well,'' he said. ``We keep talking about trying to elevate our image in the game and people's perception of us and you can only do that by performance.

``English teams have improved over the last three years and hopefully we can keep on progressing.

``Everyone tries to improve their station in life. Arsenal and Liverpool are big clubs and they have succeeded.

``We are no different. We want to be better as well. That is the nature of people with ambitions.'

 

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson backed Sir Alex, telling us: "The big European games are the best experience for the English players. They are very good preparation for international fixtures because they mean that our players become used to tactical battles and competing against the best players in the world."

Sir Alex could have one of his strongest squads of the season available to him this evening, providing Ruud van Nistelrooy overcomes a persistent hamstring problem.

Juan Sebastian Veron and Mikael Silvestre have recovered from a flu virus and knee injury respectively and return to the United squad after missing the 3-1 win at Charlton on Saturday.

Paul Scholes has come through his goalscoring return from a knee operation, while Nicky Butt trained yesterday despite picking up a back injury at The Valley. Another England man on the mend is full-back Gary Neville, who Ferguson is ready to restore to his starting line-up for the first time in four months.

``Tonight's game is an opportunity for us to start with Gary,'' said Ferguson. ``I was tempted on Saturday, but Charlton place great emphasis on set-piece play so I decided to leave him out in preference for John O'Shea.

England coach Tord Grip will be at Old Trafford this evening to track the progress of the English contingent.