Gabriel Obertan has set his sights on winning a regular place in Manchester United's first team having impressed off the substitutes' bench in recent weeks.

The surprise £3million summer capture from Bordeaux has been unable to partake in the early stages of the season due to injury.

While his welcome in Manchester was without fanfare, his manager Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken of a quiet confidence that the winger would come good.

Obertan was preferred to Nani as a substitute against Chelsea last Sunday and there are those that feel the Frenchman has usurped his Portuguese team-mate in Ferguson's thinking as a potential long-term replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.

It is an opportunity Obertan is determined to grasp: "After four months of just waiting and resting, I've been really looking forward to starting my career as a Manchester United player.

"I wanted to feel part of the squad, part of the group, and be involved in the games. So I'm feeling really good right now.

"At first I just want to be part of the squad, be in the group that travels to all the games, and get a few minutes in each game to begin with."

He added in the Manchester Evening News: "Then, if I keep working hard and show what I can do, I have ambition. So, why not aim to be a regular in the team? I might need a year to achieve that, but I hope I can do it."