Jose Mourinho reacts to Man United’s Champions League draw
Jose Mourinho delivers his reaction to Man United's Champions League group stage draw
Jose Mourinho has admitted that Manchester United have been handed a “difficult” Champions League group stage draw.
The Red Devils have been pitted against Juventus, Valencia and Young Boys in the first stage of Europe’s elite club competition after the draw was made in Monaco last week.
The headlines have inevitably focused on the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make a return to Old Trafford to face his former employers following his move to Juventus from Real Madrid this summer.
Manchester United will be aiming to try and establish themselves as one of the main contenders for the Champions League this season as Mourinho looks to win some silverware following a trophyless campaign last term.
And the Red Devils boss admits that his side have been handed something of a tricky draw this term for the group stage.
Speaking in an interview with MUTV, Mourinho said: “Difficult for us, difficult for them [the other teams].
“A very difficult group with one of the biggest candidates to reach the final [in Juventus] and a team who made an incredible investment on top of a fantastic team they had, so a big, big candidate. Valencia is also one of the top four teams in Spain and that says everything.
“Young Boys is, of course, a team that comes from the fourth pot and the world will say it’s the team that didn’t have a chance to qualify but for some reason they qualified, they went to Croatia and won in the play-offs [against Dinamo Zagreb], for some reason they beat Basel and they won the Swiss title.
“On top of that, they play on an artificial pitch, which is a big advantage for them and a big disadvantage for the other teams.”
Manchester United are currently looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League when they take on Burnley away from home on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils have lost their last two games in the top flight against Brighton and Tottenham to dent their title hopes this season.
