Jose Mourinho hasn’t hid his feelings about the Europa League.
On Wednesday, ahead of Manchester United’s Europa League tie against St Etienne, the United manager said:
“The Europa League is not a competition we want to play, but it’s a competition we play and we respect it.”
However, the competition, which United have never won, represents a realistic chance of silverware this season and a great opportunity to reach the Champions League next season.
Despite his antipathy towards the tournament, Mourinho has named a strong team for the last 32 first-leg tie against the French side.
United’s team features two changes from the side which beat Watford last Saturday. Sergio Romero starts instead of David de Gea, and Marouane Fellaini replaces Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Tonight's #MUFC team… #UEL pic.twitter.com/Xvd9lqEoUB
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 16, 2017
And here’s the St Etienne team:
#MUFCASSE #AllezLesVerts @ManUtd @EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/vtE16b6XJc
— AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) February 16, 2017
