A look at the last AC Milan side to face Manchester United in a European competition

- The last time United faced AC Milan in Europe was in 2010 Champions League season

- The Rossoneri had some of the biggest names in world football including Ronaldinho and David Beckham

- The Red Devils however triumphed 7-2 on aggregate over the Serie A side in that tie 11 years ago

Two of Europe’s sleeping giants face off on Thursday, March 11 in the Europe League – Manchester United and AC Milan.

The two clubs have a rich history and rivalry which dates back decades but in recent seasons, they have only met in the Champions Cup, which is pretty much a pre-season friendly.

March 2010, which is around 11 years ago, was the last time these two sides met in a European game and it was Sir Alex Ferguson’s side who triumphed 7-2 on aggregate after coming out with a 4-0 second leg win.

At the time, both clubs were full of big names in world football, and it was the start of the steady decline for both sides.

Here is the AC Milan squad at that time, which featured the likes of Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo and David Beckham.

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Defence: Marek Jankulovski, Daniele Bonera, Thiago Silva, Christian Abbiati

Midfield: Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo, Ignazio Abate, Mathieu Flamini

Attack: Marco Boriello, "Klaas-Jan" Huntelaar

Despite the big names in the AC Milan line up at the time, majority of these players were well past their prime whilst United had a healthy squad comprising the likes of Wayne Rooney, Park Ji Sung, Nani, Scholes and the iconic defensive partnership of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

United beat the Rossoneri in both legs, triumphing first at the San Siro in a 3-2 win before completely dominating the Italian outfit 4-0 at Old Trafford.

Years on and the fixture still bears some significance based on the history, although what is at stake is rather different.

Solskjaer’s Man United will look at the Europa League perhaps as their best shot at silverware this season, while AC Milan, who have been resurgent in recent seasons, are chasing the Serie A title with an outward chance of winning the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that Man United are interested in signing Atletico Madrid star Jan Oblak but the whopping amount in his release clause is proving to be a bottleneck, The Sun.

The Red Devils are in the market for a new goalkeeper as Sergio Romero is set to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season.

David de Gea's future at the Theatre of Dreams has also been thrown in doubt with French side Paris Saint-Germain heavily linked to the Spaniard.

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Football

Akan Anwankwo is a sports editor with Legit.ng and has 7 years of field and office experience. He graduated from the University of Lagos in 2014 with a Bachelors degree in English and Literature Studies. Akan intends to educate, inform and make readers passionate about sports. Learn more about him on his Twitter handle: @ anwankwo_akan