Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping that European glory will put the foundations in place for future success at Old Trafford.
The Manchester United boss takes his side to Barcelona on Wednesday for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final.
"My ultimate fulfilment at United was in 1999," Ferguson said in The People.
"My issue is now more of a club thing than a personal goal.
"By that I mean trying to improve our record on all fronts and maintaining that success and creating that continuity.
"When I leave there has to be continuity and we have built towards that with a squad that can stay together for a long time.
"Apart from Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs the ages of this squad are good.
"The balance of ages and positions is good, se we have longevity in this club, and that is an ongoing part of the success at United.
"I have an exit plan because there have been clubs in the past who have not recognised the need for change in their clubs and they suffer for it.
"We try and stay a step ahead and that's one reason we've put players like Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand on longer contracts.
"That gives us stability and these players gather the experience to be replacing the Giggsys and Scholesys in the future.