Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes his former club can challenge for the Champions League trophy and compete against fellow European giants.

The Republic of Ireland assistant manager was speaking after United's 1-0 defeat to FC Basel on Wednesday night, which leaves the Reds still needing one point in from final game to top the group.

Jose Mourinho's men face CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford in two weeks - a side who are also in with a chance of progressing to the last-16 of the competition.

United lead Group A with 12 points, but Basel and CSKA are tied on nine points as the pair face tricky away fixtures on Matchday six.

Keane has faith in United's strongest team

Speaking on ITV's Champions League highlights show about the possibility of the Reds succeeding in Europe this year, the Irishman stated:

"The big plus for United is that their form has been that good in the Champions League that they gave themselves room to slip up tonight.

He added that "When United have their strongest team out, they will compete with a lot of the teams in Europe", saying in his view there were "five or six players that played tonight that won't be in their strongest team.

"Mourinho is looking at the bigger picture", Keane states, urging United's players to "forget about tonight and move on. They'll be competing to win this title without a doubt." he finished.

Hoddle offers differing view

However, former England manager Glenn Hoddle disagreed with what Keane said. "There are five English teams that could actually top their groups, but is it actually an advantage? , Hoddle posed.

"You've got Atletico [Madrid] and Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich all potentially coming second in their group. I don't know whether United can live with any of them teams.

"They're fortunate they're in a group they'll get through and even then it’s gone to the last game. I'm not sure they're ready to step up to that level." Hoddle added.

Mourinho's side are back in Premier League action this weekend as they host newly-promoted Brighton after beating Newcastle last week, before big clashes against Arsenal and Manchester City in early December.

Before the eagerly anticipated Manchester derby, United play their crucial final group game with a draw being good enough to top the group.