José Mourinho has urged his Manchester United team to qualify for next season's Champions League as he misses the competition.
Mourinho's team is in the knockout stages of the Europa League, having failed to finish in the Premier League's top four last season under the Portuguese boss's predecessor Louis van Gaal.
Mourinho, a two-time Champions League winner, is looking to return both himself and Manchester United to the competition next season.
"Personally, I miss the Champions League," Mourinho said Tuesday, as reported by the Daily Mail. "Every match I don't play in the Champions League means an incredible number of matches is not going up. I am the youngest one to be in the club of 100 (a manager to have completed a century of games in the competition). Every time I don't play I am not happy.
"But obviously Manchester United is much more important than me. What matters is Manchester United, and as every knows, it's a club that belongs to the Champions League.
"We shall do everything possible to make sure we are in it next season."
Manchester United faces Saint-Etienne in the round of 32 on February 16 for the first leg, with the reverse fixture on February 22.
Mourinho either needs to guide his team into the top four—United is currently sixth—or win the Europa League in order to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Meanwhile, United hosts Hull City in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
