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De Boer plotting to surprise United Ajax coach Frank de Boer admits it is now a fact of life that Dutch clubs must satisfy themselves with landing one-off blows on Europe's elite.

Four-time European Cup winners and one of only three clubs along with Juventus and Bayern Munich to win the trio of major UEFA club competitions, Ajax remain one of the game's most famous names.

However, it is 17 years since their last European triumph and when Ajax take on Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday, they will do so in the knowledge it is likely to be a long time before they repeat it such is the vast disparity in income between clubs in Holland and those in the big five nations.

The Dutch TV contract is a tenth of the #1billion-plus deal negotiated by the English Premier League, a figure that is only set to increase as the years go on.

Ajax's turnover of #100million is a third of United's, leading to the almost inevitable exit of all their top players even though they remain the 16th best-supported team in Europe.

"You just have to look at the facts, including the difference in turnover between the two clubs and the revenue from TV contracts," said De Boer.

"It is very big and we lose players to big leagues, so it is up to us to make sure there is a surprise every now and then." A number of Ajax players are being coveted by Europe's major clubs.

Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen is at the top of the list and De Boer accepts the game offers another chance for him to shine.

However, the Ajax boss has a word of advice for Eriksen, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Tuesday.

"Christian is a smart kid," he said. "Of course maybe he will play for a big team like Manchester United in the future. But I think he wants to show what he is capable of in this kind of team.

"It would be better for him to stay until he was 25 because you learn a lot in the Netherlands.

"If you leave afterwards you are a more stable player and ready to play in the big leagues." Ahead of his side's first foray into the Europa League, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists he would regard it as a significant achievement in the club's history if they were able to join the select group of clubs that have won all UEFA's major prizes.

For the first time since 1995 United will compete in a European competition other than the Champions League.

It is the prize being paid for failing to emerge from a simple-looking Champions League group.

Ferguson has admitted he made selection mistakes, particularly in two home games that yielded only a couple of points. However, two months on from elimination, the United boss is looking forward positively.

And that means joining Ajax as winners of all three European trophies.

"It would be a significant achievement," said Ferguson. "Winning any European trophy is significant.

"Irrespective of those who have won the three trophies before it is important for us, with our own history, to win tournaments all the time." And, with no domestic match to sidetrack him at the weekend following his side's exit from the FA Cup, Ferguson found it easy to state his intention to field a strong United line-up.

The absence of injured duo Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov, plus his decision to rest Patrice Evra following the controversy surrounding his latest clash with Liverpool's Luis Suarez, does partially erode the strength of Ferguson's words.

Ajax vs Man Utd

Last modified 20:12 16/02/12

United ease to Ajax win Ashley Young's first Manchester United goal since September set the Red Devils on their way to a comfortable 2-0 win over over Ajax in Amsterdam.

The last time Young found the net was a last-gasp face-saver against Basel at Old Trafford, in a match which Sir Alex Ferguson still looks back on as the draw that cost his team their place in the Champions League.

And, after a poor first half, the visitors roused themselves after the break and Young's 58th-minute strike came at the end of their most threatening spell, the England man tucking home after Nani's cross had been deflected into his path.

Javier Hernandez added a second six minutes from time to secure a result that will allow Ferguson to take a pragmatic approach to next week's second leg, which, unlike this game, will be followed four days later by a crucial Premier League game, against high flying Norwich at Carrow Road.

As Tom Cleverley was handed his European debut after playing just twice since the beginning of September and not at all for over three months, Nani and Phil Jones back after four match absences and Ashley Young only just returned from a pre-Christmas injury, it was perhaps no surprise United were so far off the pace.

Too many first touches and passes went astray. Crossing was a particularly bad area.

Nani sent one corner straight out for a goal-kick, failed to pick out a team-mate with one obvious cross and then smashed a shot into the side-netting from an impossible angle as Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez screamed for a pass.

On the other flank, Young fared only marginally better and though Cleverley flickered, he could not sustain his impact for any length of time.

As usual then, Rooney was the visitors' main threat, although his 25-yard effort lacked the venom to beat Kenneth Vermeer with the best chance of that tepid opening period.

Ajax played the kind of free-flowing passing football for which Holland is renowned.

Christian Eriksen may be a Dane but it was easy to see why he chose Holland to learn his trade rather than expose himself to the physicality of the Premier League.

Eriksen prodded and probed and tested David de Gea with a couple of pot shots.

Siem de Jong came closest to breaking the deadlock though, also from long range.

The wideman's shot was on target, though, and De Gea needed to stretch to keep it out.

When United last appeared in a European game outside the Champions League, goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel was amongst the scorers.

De Gea never contemplated emulating the great Dane. His stock is starting to rise though and Ajax refused to reduce themselves to pumping their opponents' box with crosses in an effort to expose the Spain star's weakness under a high ball.

That there was no injury-time reflected a general lack of first-half excitement.

There was a talking point in the final minute though when Miralem Sulejmani went down under Rio Ferdinand's challenge.

Ajax were convinced it was a penalty. Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi decided otherwise, leaving Ferdinand to hobble down the tunnel for his break.

Stand-in skipper for the night in place of an emotionally drained Patrice Evra, Ferdinand was able to return for a second half United began with far more zip than they had shown previously.

Jan Vertonghen was at full stretch to prevent Young's cross reaching Jones at the far post and Vermeer and Vurnon Anita combined to snuff out an opening that seemed to be presenting itself to Hernandez.

United were definitely turning the screw, though, and it was no surprise they broke the deadlock just before the hour.

So frustrating so often, Nani for once managed to find a team-mate with a cross that flicked off an Ajax defender.

Young steadied himself after beating Anita, eventually drilling a low shot through a crowd of bodies.

It was the former Aston Villa man's fourth goal since his #18million summer move to United and was followed immediately by Cleverley's departure for Paul Scholes, in the absence of Ryan Giggs the only remaining member of that 1995 UEFA Cup team.

Antonio Valencia's introduction for Young provided the South American with enough time to begin a move that ended with Hernandez exchanging passes with Rooney before slotting home his third goal in as many games and ninth of the season.