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Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes has revealed he wants to win the Europa League after missing out on Champions League football. The Red Devils had a poor end to their 2021-22 campaign and subsequently finished sixth in the league table.
United were able to pick up just one win from their last five league games and finished a whopping 13 points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Champions League success has been elusive for the Red Devils, with their last title coming way back in 2008. Since then, they have been in two Europa League finals, winning one of them in 2017.
Bruno Fernandes explained that now that he will be playing in the Europa League, his goal is to win the competition after failing short in 2021.
The 27-year-old said:
"Disappointment about not being in the Champions League next season? Disappointment was if I couldn't play football. Obviously, everyone wants to play in the Champions League.
"I'm in the Europa League and when I get there it will be to win. I've already lost one final and now I want to win it."
Manchester United should take the Europa League seriously next season
It’s been five seasons since Manchester United won silverware. That's a long time for a club its stature to go trophyless.
A win in the 2020-21 Europa League final could have given the squad a much-needed shot in the arm. Instead, the team fell apart after the first sign of trouble under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the 2021-22 season.
It’s clear that Manchester United are still some way behind the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. However, winning the Europa League as well as a deep run in the cup competitions could instil a winning mentality.
Erik ten Hag has a bigger summer ahead as it's clear the squad needs to be reinforced. If the Dutchman can get the players aligned to his system quickly, then Manchester United could become competitive in at least the cup competitions.
The Europa League group stages could serve as the ideal ground for Ten Hag to experiment with his tactics and players as the quality of teams isn't of the highest level.
However, if they get to the knockout stages, the target should be to win the competition.
