BACKWARDS, UNDER ACHIEVED AND SPECIAL

Last updated : 14 May 2004 By Editor

Nicky Butt seems to believe that despite the fact that United have been far from outstanding this year the team can only get better.

"This club will never go backwards," he told MUTV.

"We have underachieved in the Premiership and Champions League this season but we can get back to the levels we are capable of.

"The age of the playing squad is still young, even though we have so much experience and with the manager here we will only ever go forward.

"Obviously, we can only finish third now even if we win our final game at Aston Villa on Saturday but we have an FA Cup final coming up and we are determined to get on top of our game before then."

And on the beast that is United he continued:

"Big players have left here in the past but Manchester United is like a train - it just keeps moving on," he said.

"We still have a chance of winning a trophy this season and while we wouldn't look upon the FA Cup as a replacement for what happened in the league and Champions League, it is a special tournament and a game we are looking forward to being involved in."

However before that United have to take on Villa and Nicky thinks this game will be used as a last chance to make the team for Cardiff.

'Aston Villa are tough opposition,'

'I always think of them as a mid-table team but they have done very well this season.

'David O'Leary has obviously put his own ideas forward and is getting the best out of his squad. But there is plenty of incentive for us as well because we need to raise our standards.

'We have been disappointed with our results this season and rather than look ahead to the FA Cup final, we want to get our performance right tomorrow.'