Three reasons Manchester United should fancy themselves as favourites for the Europa League

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Squad Depth

If later in the competition fixture congestion concerns shown by Jose do come to effect his squad, or lead to a different prioritisation of commitments, he has players available to rotate.

As shown last night one or two stars, in this case, Henrik Mkhitaryan, can be rested without affecting the team’s performance levels.

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Providing they don’t suffer from a string of injuries United have quality alternatives available for most positions. Again, yesterday was an example of this, with Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Ashley Young all featuring from the bench. All three are capable of making up a strong starting eleven if called upon.

This will be especially useful if they can almost put a tie to bed in the 1st leg, allowing more room for changes in the 2nd. Expect to see increased rotation when a Europa League match comes before a weekend fixture more concerning than the FA Cup tie against Blackburn this Sunday.

Rotation isn’t always weakening, it is a strength which Mourinho should and will use when he sees fit. Striking a healthy balance could be crucial to United’s success throughout a busy end to the season.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Thuy Tran Thanh