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Jose Mourinho has insisted that losing the Europa League final wouldn’t mean his club have failed |
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has insisted that losing the Europa League final to Ajax Amsterdam wouldn’t mean the club has failed this season.
With the club having seen their chances of finishing in the top four go up in smoke, the Europa League represents United’s final chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
But Mourinho, who has already won silverware in his first season at Old Trafford in the form of the EFL Cup said winning this European competition isn’t an indication of the club’s success of failure this term.
“I understand that from the press’ point of view and your perspective that [the Europa League final] is the big headline,” Mourinho told Sky Sports after his team’s goalless draw in the Premier League at Southampton on Wednesday.
“I understand that we are in the final and to be back in the Champions League makes a whole difference for all of you and you analyse a team’s season.
“But I know what I gave and I know what the players gave. From our perspective we are not going to accept that one goal, one save, one post, something that is going to decide a final, is going to decide if we worked well or worked bad,” said the Portuguese boss.
“I think we gave everything we could have, we fought against so many difficult circumstances and I’m proud of the boys, no matter what,” he said.
United welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford on Sunday in their last game of the league campaign, before heading to Stockholm to face Ajax Amsterdam in the Europa League final on Wednesday next week.