Dimitar Berbatov has vowed to fight for his place at Manchester United next season, despite admitting he felt "ashamed" to be left out of the Champions League final.

24008 - Determined Berbatov to battle for place in United

Berbatov finished the season as the Premier League's joint leading scorer but it wasn't enough to earn the striker a place in Sir Alex Ferguson's team to face Barcelona, the Bulgarian failing to even make the bench.

Overlooked in favour of Michael Owen for a substitute's role, Berbatov saved himself from the glare of the cameras by watching United's 3-1 defeat from the Wembley dressing room.

Following his absence from the touchline, speculation has mounted that he may be heading for the Old Trafford exit door, with Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund linked with summer bids and former club Tottenham touted as a potential destination.

However, the 30-year-old insists he is a fighter and is determined to start afresh next season.

"I will stay," Berbatov told Bulgarian television. "I will fight for the 20th title. If I were an easy quitter, I would never have made it this far. Everything at Manchester United starts from scratch for me on July 4.

"There will be new finals and we will be fighting for new titles. I am moving ahead. When you go through difficult times, you should not quit. The truth is that I stayed at the dressing room and watched the Champions League final there, on a TV screen.

"I was really disappointed. I was ashamed that I was not part of the team and did not want people to see how sad I feel."