Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has insisted that he will take the Europa League seriously in the final months of the season.

After dropping out of the Champions League in the group stages, it had been questioned whether Van Gaal, who has an injury-hit squad, would focus all of his attention on the Premier League and FA Cup, rather than Europe's second competition.

The experienced boss, however, has claimed that his team will go full throttle for the trophy, which is also another avenue to directly qualify for the group stages of next season's Champions League.

"It's a fantastic aim for us to win this cup because Manchester United has never won it," Van Gaal told reporters ahead of his team's last-32 first leg against FC Midtjylland.

During his pre-match press conference, Van Gaal also confirmed that captain Wayne Rooney is facing a period on the sidelines with a knee problem, while explaining that Marouane Fellaini is currently out with a muscular injury.