Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson likes the idea of being crowned world club champions this week in Tokyo.

"The nitty-gritty of this is that in 30 years, I hope people will look back in the record books and see 'Manchester United: world champions'," he said. "That is what this football club is about and that is why it is important for us to win it. A trophy like that adds prestige to a club.

"Playing different opposition does not do us any harm, either, so that is exciting, but our biggest incentive for being here is that this is the world championship. We cannot win the Premier League in December, but we can become world champions, so our aim is to do that first and the rest maybe later.

"Yes, there is a bit of a handicap coming here while the league is going on, but that is what happens when you are successful. We're here because we won the European Cup, so I hope we are in Abu Dhabi next year because that will mean we will have done it again. As far as I am concerned, without any question the benefits of being here outweigh what is happening in the Premier League."