Red View: Boss welcomes Ajax ties, Pogba's ambition, Carrick confident, video and much more.

UNITED'S AMSTERDAM ASSIGNMENT The Europa League draw has pitted Sir Alex's side with Amsterdam aristocrats Ajax in a glamorous Round of 32 tie. The first leg takes place on Thursday 16 February with a kick-off time of 18.00 GMT while the home match takes place at Old Trafford a week later at 20.05. "Ajax are a good team and I've never faced them in competitive European football," the manager told ManUtd.com. "I'm looking forward to it."  Defender Chris Smalling added: "We've drawn Ajax and they have a lot of history. That will be a good test. A lot of the teams will be keen to do well.  Whoever wins the competition will be a good team. "It was a massive disappointment [going out of the Champions League]," he added. "But you just have to look at the calibre of teams that are in the Europa League." If the Reds progress, Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow or Spanish side Athletic Bilbao will lie in wait in the Round of 16. More: Full draw details | Supporters' away credits POGBA'S FIRST-TEAM AIM Paul Pogba is driven by one goal - to become a first-team regular at United. The promising midfielder has had a taste of senior action in the Carling Cup and admits he is hungry for more chances to impress Sir Alex. After returning to top form in the Reserves' 4-0 win against Liverpool, the youngster has his eyes firmly fixed on stepping up a level again in 2012. "It's very good," he told MUTV. "I'm getting in the first team and I enjoy it a lot. I have to carry on and try to play more games. "[My debut at] Leeds was a great feeling. I played away, in a derby as well, and came on for Ryan Giggs. I thought: 'Okay, now is a good chance to prove myself and to show them what I can do'. We won that game and it was a very good feeling. "I told myself I've just tasted it, now I want to eat it - I want all the cake now! I want to play, work hard and do my best to get in the first-team squad." Pogba aspires to making a real mark at Old Trafford, following in the footsteps of many of his fellow countrymen - such as Eric Cantona, Fabien Barthez and Patrice Evra. "I think you grow up a lot at United," he admitted. "I came from France. I'm here and I know what I want to do. I just want to be a first-team player, a great player here and that's it. I want to play with the first team." More: Boss' pledge to Fletcher | Reserves: United 4 Liverpool 0 CAPITAL GAINS FOR CARRICK Michael Carrick is confident United can keep the pressure on leaders Manchester City with back-to-back victories against QPR and Fulham ahead of Christmas. The champions face the first trips to London of the Barclays Premier League campaign and have been boosted by City's defeat at Chelsea on Monday night. Although recognising that both capital clubs will make life difficult for the Reds, the in-form midfielder is looking to give the travelling Red Army some festive cheer. "QPR are having a decent season and have been strong at home," he told ManUtd.com. "Loftus Road is a tough place to go. It's a tight, smallish pitch and the fans are right on top of you, which creates an intense atmosphere. "They've capitalised on that and have had some good results there, in particular beating Chelsea. But our away form has been good and we'll be going there confident, though we expect a difficult game. We know Fulham are a good team - they're well organised and Craven Cottage is another tough place to visit but it's a good, old-fashioned football ground and we'll look forward to going there." More: QPR v United preview | Berbatov fit to face QPR   This email was sent by:Manchester United Sir Matt Busby Way Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 0RA, United Kingdom. This email is designed to be viewed in HTML email clients - if you cannot see the images above, please open an HTML-compatible email account and then register the new address with ManUtd.com. If this email has been forwarded to you by a friend, please register with ManUtd.com to receive the MU Foundation newsletter directly in future. The articles and images in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United FC. If you do not wish to receive this email please send a blank email from your subscription address to unsubscribe@manutd.co.uk. We are committed to respecting your privacy. Please see our Privacy Policy. Please DO NOT reply to this email.