Marc Crosas, the Celtic midfielder, was "amazed" by Manchester United as a boy but he is looking at his side's upcoming Champions League meeting simply as a chance to stay in the tournament.

The former Barcelona youngster has admired Sir Alex Ferguson's side since watching their last-gasp comeback in the 1999 final against Bayern Munich from the Nou Camp stands. But the 20-year-old is too concerned with getting a result at Old Trafford at October 21 to get carried away with the hype surrounding the latest battle of Britain'.

Celtic face an uphill struggle to qualify for the last 16 for a third year running after taking one point from their opening two games. Crosas said: "I was actually inside the Nou Camp when Manchester United beat Bayern Munich to win the UEFA Champions League in 1999. I got tickets along with a few friends and it was an amazing experience. I like them as a team.

"They have good players but we can do well against them. I know that there will be a lot of interest in the match because it's the champions of Scotland and England playing each other. But we are not thinking about the game like that. We just know that we need a good result to keep up our dream of going further in the UEFA Champions League."

Indeed, Crosas claims Celtic are not even looking that far ahead. While most of Gordon Strachan's first team are on international duty, those left behind will prepare for Celtic's trip to Inverness a week on Saturday. "The Manchester United match is massive for us but nobody is thinking beyond the Inverness game," Crosas told the Celtic View.

"It's vital that we maintain our winning run in the league," he added after Celtic went top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League after St Mirren's victory over Rangers at Love Street. "We have worked hard to get back to the top of the SPL and the Inverness match is the priority for us."