Sir Alex Ferguson marked his 21st anniversary as Manchester United manager yesterday with a familiar address, that two European Cups in more than half a century represents a meagre return for a club who purport to be the world’s biggest.

The 65-year-old appears unwilling to contemplate resting, let alone enjoying a happy retirement, without first adding to the club’s successes in 1968 and 1999, but he suggested that the motivation should be even greater for his players, who, he said, could ultimately be remembered as “nearly men” if they cannot get their hands on the giant trophy.

“The players clearly want to do well in the Champions League and if you are one of the best, you naturally look to spell it out with cups and medals,” Ferguson said. “Otherwise you are in danger of ending your career as a nearly man – and I don’t think a single Manchester United player wants that.

“I sense that the mood is good and the commitment is there for a really determined effort this season to put our club firmly back on the European map. Talk comes cheap, I know, but we have built a platform that, with just a little bit of luck, will launch us on our way to capture this most elusive of trophies.”

That platform extends to wins in their first three matches in group F and a fourth victory, over Dynamo Kiev at Old Trafford this evening, would all but confirm their place in the knockout stage with two matches to spare. That, according to Ferguson, is “where the Champions League really starts”, but for United in recent years it has frequently been where the story ends. Between semi-final appearances in 2002 and 2007, they have progressed beyond the last 16 only once.

There are only four survivors in Ferguson’s squad from the team that won the competition eight years ago in Barcelona and, with Gary Neville and Paul Scholes (who was suspended for the 1999 final) injured and Ryan Giggs due for another rest, only Wes Brown, an unused substitute in the Nou Camp final is likely to be in the starting lineup this evening. Time has caught up with many of Ferguson’s favourite sons and there were renewed fears yesterday about another, with Neville suffering a further setback in his recovery after almost eight months out with ankle, knee and calf problems. The England defender had hoped to be on the substitutes’ bench tonight, but, having aggravated a calf injury in training, he faces at least another week or two on the sidelines.

“It’s a real dampener for the boy and for us,” Ferguson said. “He’s not back to square one, goodness me no, but it’s certainly something we could have done without. I don’t think it’s a long one, but it’s disturbing for the fact that he needs to get his season on the road again and, of course, this is a setback.”

But it is also the kind of blow that Ferguson has overcome hundreds of times since he arrived at Old Trafford on November 6, 1986, when he faced a daunting task to restore the club to the glory days of Sir Matt Busby.

Ferguson has always insisted that he has no intention of going on as long as Busby, who managed the club between 1945 and 1969 and then again briefly for a second spell.

But three years short of Busby’s milestone, Ferguson’s enthusiasm shows no sign of waning. Not until he has gone one better than Busby and managed to get his hands on the European Cup for a second time, at least.

–– Arsenal have asked Manchester United’s security staff to compile a dossier to help them to investigate the “absolutely disgraceful” abuse that Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, claims to have suffered during his team’s 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Ferguson said after the match that that he and his coaching staff were subjected to “fearful abuse” from Arsenal supporters near to the dugout and accused the London club of a “lack of security”. Yesterday Ferguson said: “Arsenal Football Club have asked our security team to compile a report on the incident. I’m sure that Arsenal will have CCTV cameras that picked up the problems.”

Group F

Manchester United (probable; 4-4-2): E van der Sar – W Brown, R Ferdinand, N Vidic, P Evra – C Ronaldo, O Hargreaves, M Carrick, Nani – W Rooney, C Tévez.

Dynamo Kiev (possible; 4-4-1-1): O Shovkoskiy – O Dopilka, P Diakhate, G Gavrancic, A Nesmachniy – O Gusev, D Rincón, T Ghioane, A Yussuf – S Rebrov – I Bangoura.

Referee: J Wegereef (Netherlands).