Deportivo the danger for Neville

Gary Neville believes Manchester United's biggest threat in the Champions' League will come from Spanish opposition, but it will not be Real Madrid.

Sir Alex Ferguson is glad United have avoided the favourites, Real, but for Neville, Deportivo La Coruña are the biggest danger. Deportivo have beaten United and Arsenal home and away this season and Neville feels they are currently the best side around.

"I watched Deportivo last week against Arsenal and, having played against them this season, I think they are the best team in Europe at the minute," he said.

"I think we did our job in getting top of the group, and whoever we play it's going to be a tough game.

"At the end of the day we're in the quarter-finals of the European Cup, and if you're going to win this trophy then you've got to beat the best teams. There are going to be eight very, very good teams left in the quarter-final draw."

Neville will take whoever United get in tomorrow's draw in Nyon and he is bullish about United's chances of repeating their 1999 triumph.

The England defender feels his team's impressive showing in the second group phase demonstrates that they have improved.

"We're definitely playing better," he said. "We've played better in this group phase than we played in the group phase over the last two years.

"Our performances against Bayern were solid. I think away from home we deserved to beat Bayern and I think overall we deserved to win the group.

"I think when we look like scoring goals it doesn't matter what happens at the other end because we always score more goals than the opposition – and that's the name of the game."

Neville's team-mate Nicky Butt added: "They're all top quality teams and whoever it is will prove very difficult whether it's Arsenal or any of the other teams. But it doesn't really matter who we get and we just have to concentrate on ourselves."

Ferguson does not mind either and was just happy that United's 3-0 win over Boavista meant they finished top of their group and consequently cannot draw Real.

Butt understands Ferguson's thinking, but recalled United's treble-winning season when they eliminated Barcelona, Internazionale and Juventus on their way to the final.

"Obviously Real Madrid are a massive team," he said. "You would like to get them in the latter stages, but it doesn't matter who you play at this stage and that's been proved over the years. The year we won it we played all the hardest teams."

Certainly no team will want to play United after their impressive qualification for the last eight.

They scored 13 goals in their six games and conceded only three, while their slick win over Boavista in the Estadio do Bessa was achieved without the injured trio of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane and Juan Sebastian Veron.

"I think this puts us in good stead for the quarter-finals," said Butt. "The manager spoke to us before the game at Boavista and made sure we were all aware that we wanted to come top. That's what we've done and we're all delighted."