Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has rubbished suggestions that Champions League commitments may distract his team from the Premier League.

The Red Devils take on Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the competition, playing their first leg away from home on Wednesday in Madrid.

Rangnick was speaking during his pre-match press conference, and was asked if going deep in the competition could hurt their chances of finishing fourth and qualifying for it next season.

The German said: "The Champions League is never a distraction. That's why every team qualified and we're desperate to qualify for next season's Champions League.

"If we want to qualify for the Champions League next season, how can it be a distraction? This is why we are playing here and why we are all here working for this club. We want to play in the Champions League and we're playing against one of the best teams in Europe. Of course, we want to show everybody that we are able to beat this team.

"Maybe it's not the biggest chance but it's still a chance if you win the Champions League, you can also qualify for the Champions League, but in order to do that we have to first make sure we play two top games against Atletico and hopefully at the end of those two games we will be able to proceed into the next round."