Fletcher wants Paris in the spring

Manchester United FC midfield player Darren Fletcher has set himself an ambitious treble target of lifting this season's UEFA Champions League, wresting the English Premiership title back from Chelsea FC and representing his native Scotland at next summer's FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.

Final destination
The Old Trafford side face LOSC Lille Métropole, SL Benfica and Villarreal CF in Group D and having failed to reach the semi-finals since 2001/02, Fletcher is hoping United will be stepping out at the Stade de France on May 24. "We want to go all the way to the final this season," he told uefa.com. "It was very disappointing to lose out to AC Milan it the last 16 last season. We've not been in the mix for the semi-finals and finals of late and that's where a club like United belong."

Villarreal trip
United open their campaign with a trip to Villarreal's El Madrigal on Wednesday, a fixture that should see Diego Forlán line up against his former Old Trafford team-mates. After two frustrating years in Manchester, the Uruguayan striker has revitalised his career in Spain and ended 2004/05 as the Primera División's top scorer with 25 goals as Villarreal finished third to secure their first Champions League appearance.

Forlán mystery
Fletcher is at a loss to explain why the 26-year-old only scored ten times in 62 appearances for United, but he knows that Forlán will be out to prove a point to his former employers. "He was a quality player in training and his finishing was really good, but for some reason it didn't come off for him in matches," said Fletcher.

'Quality player'
"No doubt a lot will be written and said about Diego coming up against United again but he is a quality player and we will have to watch him carefully," he added. "Villarreal are a good side and looked good in qualifying when they knocked out Everton [FC]. They are the dark horses in our group and might surprise a few people."

Keane role
From a personal point of view, Fletcher has had an excellent start to the season having played in four of United's five Premiership games so far and starred in Scotland's recent World Cup qualifiers against Italy and Norway. Scotland manager Walter Smith has suggested that Fletcher can take over from Roy Keane in the United midfield but the 21-year-old knows he cannot afford to let his standards slip.

Confidence high
"I know that if I don't perform I'll drop out of the team like any other player," he said. "The chance has been given to me and hopefully I can keep it going. Last season was disrupted because I had a couple of injuries, but I played seven games before the end of the season and that was good for my confidence."

Domestic challenge
On the domestic front Fletcher is convinced that United can respond to the challenge laid down by champions Chelsea last season and having breathed new life into Scotland's World Cup bid he is looking forward to a successful campaign on all fronts.

United ambitions
"You've got to aim high, especially at a club like Manchester United. You should be aiming to get to the latter stages of the Champions League every season," he said. "It's the pinnacle of a player's career at club level just as the World Cup and [UEFA] European Championships are at international level. It would be perfect if Scotland could make it to Germany, United could get to the Champions League final and also push Chelsea all the way for the league this season."