Manchester United drawn into tough Europa League group

Robin van Persie will return to Old Trafford after Manchester United were drawn in a Europa League group with Fenerbahce.

The draw for the group stages of the Europa League have been conducted today and it’s provided some interesting groups for the Premier League teams involved.

And Mourinho believes the pool is one that would normally appear in the Champions League due to the quality of the teams and feels United fans will relish such games.

The Red Devils were handed a trip into the unknown after being drawn against Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk in the Europa League. Their last three matches have seen them score eight goals without reply.

On the last day of the 2011/12 season, United had been seconds away from their 20th league title, only for some Argentinian bloke to pop up at the death at the Etihad and take the Premier League crown to Manchester City. In 2015 they were forced to contest a play-off with Legia Warsaw, which they lost 4-2 on aggregate.

“We had a hard start with a unusual pre-season, players coming in step by step”, he said.

‘But like I said, they’ve taken the element of risk out of it and I think Mourinho in turn has done that by buying ready-made players in Pogba, Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan.

Group B: Olympiakos, APOEL, Young Boys, Astana.

Group C: Anderlecht, Mainz, Qabala, St-Etienne.

Group D: Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia), AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel), Dundalk (Ireland).

Group E: Viktoria Plzen, Roma, Austria Vienna, Astra.

Ajax once beat Panathinaikos in a European Cup final, and will meet again in a group with Standard Liege and Celta Vigo.

Group F: Athletic Bilbao, Genk, Rapid Wien, Sassuolo.

Group H: Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga, Gent, Konyaspor.