Iron defender Scott Laird says the FA Cup third round clash with Chelsea is a fantastic opportunity for everyone in the squad to test themselves against the best.
United set up the tie after beating Leyton Orient 3-0 at Glanford Park on Tuesday night, and Laird feels his side have to go to Stamford Bridge full of belief."It's a great opportunity for us to go and test ourselves against the best, the best in the world. Look at Bradford last year, you can go away to these teams and win. That's what the FA Cup is all about," he told The Iron PlayerHD.
"I've been lucky enough to beat Newcastle in the third round, I've taken Tottenham to a replay in the fifth round, Manchester United and also Leicester away.
"I've been lucky enough to play against five Premier League teams in my career so far and we've got to take it in."
United struggled to break down Orient in the first half, but Laird felt it was just a matter of patience.
He revealed the message at the break was to inject more pace into their play, in order to try and open up Orient.
"I know the fans were getting a bit frustrated in the first half, but we were just trying to play football the right way," he stated.
"The main message was to speed it up. We were getting in good positions, but we were just a bit laboured in attack."
Despite the mouthwatering match which awaits in the new year, the full-back insists the focus must be on Saturday's fixture with Sheffield United.
"I'm going to have to use the old cliché and say we've got many league games before Chelsea," he said.
"We have to concentrate now on Sheffield United and what's before. But we've got to really enjoy it and take it in, because there's no point playing in the FA Cup if you can't enjoy it."
See much more from Scott Laird, Mark Robins and Hakeeb Adelakun on The Iron PlayerHD.
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