Manchester United are the team everyone wants to beat in the Europa League this season, according to manager Jose Mourinho.
United suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Feyenoord in their opening game as a much-changed side produced a poor performance in the Netherlands.
The likes of Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin and Marcus Rashford were given the opportunity to impress, but did not take it and Mourinho was left trying to make excuses for his side after the final whistle.
“In the Europa League, we are going to be the team everyone wants to beat,” he told BT Sport.
However, Mourinho did refuse to pick out players for criticism, saying: “I don’t want to go in that direction. I don’t want to personalise. Obviously, some played better than others. It was the first game for some.
“We go back to a normal team without so many changes [against Watford].”
Mourinho stated before the match that the Europa League was not a place himself, his players or the club wanted to be.
Despite those comments, he would have been looking for much more from his side, especially after such a disappointing derby defeat to Manchester City in the previous match.
United failed to fashion any clear-cut chances, with Anthony Martial’s shot past the post and a late scramble in the box the closest they came.
Mourinho will revert back to his usual team for the Watford game at the weekend before their next Europa League game against Zorya Luhansk at Old Trafford on September 29.
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