Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that the real Champions League starts now following the conclusion of the group stages.

United were beaten 1-0 by CFR Cluj on Wednesday at Old Trafford, but had already qualified for the knockout stages of the competition.

Having won Group H, Ferguson is now looking forward to the rest of the tournament.

"We qualified earlier so it gave us a chance to experiment and play the players that needed a game," said Ferguson.

"We gave some young players a bit of experience and that will hold them in good stead.

"We're into the next stage being winners of the group but there are some big names there - Shakhtar Donetsk, Milan, Porto. We qualified comfortably and the real tournament starts in February. The knockout stages are fantastic."

United travel to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.