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Sir Alex delighted with Rangers reunion

Sir Alex Ferguson is looking forward to seeing his old friend Walter Smith after Manchester United FC were paired against Rangers FC, Valencia CF and Bursaspor in Group C.

Sir Alex Ferguson is looking forward to returning to Glasgow
Sir Alex Ferguson is looking forward to returning to Glasgow ©Getty Images

Manchester United FC manager Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with the UEFA Champions League group stage draw after being pitted against his old club Rangers FC as well as Valencia CF and Turkish newcomers Bursaspor in Group C.

Sir Alex, who was born in Glasgow, played for Rangers between 1967 and 1969 and has worked alongside their manager, Walter Smith, both at United and with the Scottish national side. Bursaspor coach Ertuğrul Sağlam, meanwhile, insists his team will not be overawed, saying: "We have the potential, power and squad to advance from the group stage."

Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager
You can't complain about that, it's a good draw for us. You always look at the travelling side of it and the only one that's of any great distance is the trip to Turkey. Walter Smith's already been on the phone, talking about tickets for Old Trafford. Like me, he's really looking forward to our games against each other.

César Sánchez, Valencia goalkeeper
We have in front of us the champions of Scotland and Turkey and a team with the power of Manchester United; one of the biggest clubs in Europe. The group will be played out in four grounds where you can expect fantastic atmospheres and where the hosts at each game will be favourites. The key will be to be strong at home.

Walter Smith, Rangers manager
It's a great game to kick off the campaign with and there's no question we couldn't have got a tougher one. Any footballer worth his salt would want to go and play at Old Trafford, so it's a game that we will look forward to. They have a supreme pedigree and it's not often they don't make it to the late stages [of the competition]. They achieve a great level of consistency in European competition, but we know all about them and it will be a challenge we will look forward to.

Ertuğrul Sağlam, Bursaspor Coach
We are in a strong group, but I won't call it mission impossible. Manchester United always aim to win this tournament as do Valencia. Rangers are one of the two leading representatives of Scottish football and have played numerous times in the Champions League. We'll play against very experienced players, but we achieved something everybody said was impossible last season. We have the potential, power and squad to advance from the group.

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