Europa League final ref Skomina has previous with United boss Mourinho

United need to be competing on Europe’s biggest stage to attract top talent and, given the importance of the final against Ajax, manager Jose Mourinho has some big calls to make.

Jose Mourinho will unapologetically seek to preserve the freshness of his Manchester United players over their final three Premier League games, he said after they reached the Europa League final.

“In my personal analysis, I don’t think that way”.

Darmian was one of only three players to start both Sunday’s Premier League defeat at Arsenal and the Europa League clash with Celta, and could again be called into action at Tottenham in the last-ever game at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Skomina, an worldwide referee since 2003, has presided over six Champions League matches this season, including Monaco and Borussia Dortmund’s quarter-final second leg.

United centre-back Eric Bailly was sent off during Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Celta and Mourinho said the unlikelihood of lauching a successful appeal meant he was resigned to being without the Ivorian for the final.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg of the semi-final in Spain, United thought they had killed off the tie when Marouane Fellaini headed them in front after 17 minutes.

The 54-year-old slammed the Slovenian ref as “weak and naive” over the decision, and even suggested he had been biased against his team.

“In the end, when the game was hard, when they were better than us and we were in trouble and not playing well, it was that mentality, that desire, that togetherness that made the boys fight until the end”, Mourinho said.

“This is basically our story”.

Substitute Rachid Ghezzal nodded in a heavily-deflected third late on as Ajax played the final minutes with ten men after Dutch global Nick Viergever received a second booking. From the first minute I felt calm, relaxed, everything under control. We only have 15 so I have to play them but I have to play them in a mixed way and by periods.

“You are always looking for this kind of capital letters, big headlines”.

The hosts continued their attacking play in the second half.