It was Sir Alex Ferguson who expressed concern that too much pressure was being placed on his players to win the Champions League in the year the club commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. It is a pressure that has shown no signs of telling on Ferguson's squad this season, but Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the survivors of the tragedy, moved to alleviate the burden yesterday by urging the class of 2008 to make their own history against Chelsea in Moscow on Wednesday.

“The players appreciate and are aware of what it is all about,” Charlton said. “It is a nostalgic and poignant year, but they should be looking to win it to make their own history.”

When Charlton addressed the squad earlier in the year, Ferguson claimed that “you could not hear a pin drop” as the former United player recounted his memories of the disaster that claimed 23 lives, its impact and how it shaped not only the history of the club, but English football in general. It was a stirring address and it left none of the players in any doubt about how fitting it would be for the club to lift the European Cup this year.

But Charlton, aware that victory in the competition this season would also mark the 40th anniversary of the club's first European Cup triumph under Matt Busby, insists it was not his intention to put too much pressure on the players. “I had no qualms at all about saying it to this group of players,” he said. “It wasn't pressure. I would never put pressure on them. They have their own careers and Munich is a long time ago.

“It wouldn't be fair to put total responsibility on them to win the Champions League to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragedy. They know they will make their own history if they win the European Cup. There is no doubt that if they can beat Chelsea next week in the final, there will be a lot of satisfaction among anyone who was connected with Munich.”

Coincidentally, it was Chelsea, United's opponents in Moscow, who accepted the advice of the Football League and refused to enter the inaugural European Cup as England's representatives in 1955, when they were the title-holders, only for Busby to go against orders and enter the competition the next year.

“It would be perfect as it was Matt Busby who pioneered the idea of English clubs competing in Europe - and the Babes would have done so well in it but for the tragedy,” Charlton said. “That history is not lost on these players now. All of them who come here sometimes get a little puzzled by the effect that what happened in Munich has had on Manchester United.

“But when the club asked Nobby Stiles and I to talk about Munich and the effect it had on United to the players earlier in the year, they understood it and were fascinated by it.”

Charlton is confident that the United of Cristiano Ronaldo and Co would be worthy winners of the Champions League this season. “We have seen some sensational goals, attacking football,” he said. “It is something to be really, really proud of to win the Champions League.

“If you win this, you are one of the best teams in the world and that is something to tell your grandchildren.”