Manchester United will be without star trio Patrice Evra, Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov for their first leg Europa League clash against Ajax in Amsterdam on Thursday night.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed injury prevented Ryan Giggs from his 900th appearance for Manchester United, the same went for Dimitar Berbatov, while stand-in captain Patrice Evra was given a rest after an 'emotional week' following the Liverpool clash.

"Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov are injured," Ferguson said, according to manutd.com. "We rested Patrice Evra. It was an emotional weekend for him so I think this is the right thing to do. It's a strong squad we've got here.

"Ryan got a knock in the first half against Liverpool on the ankle and Dimitar got an injury in training on Sunday. I've got plenty of options up front with Wayne [Rooney], Chicha [Javier Hernandez] and Danny Welbeck. I could also play Ashley Young off the front or Nani through the middle. It's better to leave him [Berbatov] behind. It's not a serious injury - he'd be available if I asked him to play - but I thought it better not to risk it, so I left him behind."

Sir Alex continued to express the importance of performing in the Europe's second-tier competition, a trophy United have never won. "I think our form is very good at the moment," added the boss. "We're getting players back, which helps. I will certainly try and play my strongest team in each round now. I'm sure, with the number of players I have, we can combine the league and the Europa League."