Fergie puts front-line faith in Scholes

European Cup succes at Hampden is the aim for Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed the strike-force he hopes will fire Manchester United to Champions League glory in his final season as manager.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Paul Scholes will be paired together in Sunday's Charity Shield against Liverpool to give them time to gell before the European games later in the autumn.

"I'm going to use Van Nistelrooy with Scholes to begin with," Ferguson told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I want to try that out and see how it settles in because I think it's an interesting system.

"I want to exercise the imagination of that and see how far we can go with it because it could be a very useful system in Europe."

When the major games come I'll be picking from a nucleus of 14 or 15 players

  Sir Alex Ferguson

Ferguson, who retires at the end of the season, admits he will employ a squad within a squad for important matches in the new campaign..

"We'll always go down the road of making changes but when the major games come I'll be picking from a nucleus of 14 or 15 players," he said.

Summer signing Juan Sebastian Veron will be at the heart of that group and Ferguson is delighted with the way his £28m capture has settled in.

"We're probably getting him at his best time now. At 26 he's reaching his peak years," said Ferguson.

"Someone asked if they thought he was tough enough for the Premiership but Argentinian football is very tough and I've no doubt he will pick up the baton in the Premier League both pace wise and physically."

Veron has joined United at the peak of his career

The 2002 Champions League final will be played at Hampden and it is no secret Ferguson would love to bow out at the ground where he started as a 16-year-old with Queens Park.

But he insists he has no set ambition for the coming season.

"It's not about me, it's about the team and always has to be," he said.

"We always try and win a major but we'll have to wait and see."

"Both the Premier division and the Champions League are very important to us."

"I think they (the players) were disappointed last year particularly in the Champions League and FA Cup, getting knocked out so early.

"It wasn't there last year but maybe it will behis year."