Man United can afford Champions League absence for 4 years and still compete - Jose Mourinho:

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho has said that the Old Trafford club can miss out on Champions League football for the next four years and still compete with the best.


Mourinho made the remarks on Wednesday at a news conference ahead of his side's Europa League quarterfinal first leg against Anderlecht on Thursday.

"We need and we don't need," Mourinho said. "We don't need because Manchester United's history is so big and Manchester United is so much bigger than many other clubs that are playing Champions League that if Manchester United do not play Champions League for four years that doesn't affect the prestige, the dimension and history of the club.

"So Manchester United doesn't need to play Champions League. But Manchester United wants to play, Manchester United feels that it's the competition adapted to the history and ambitions of everyone at the club, so we want to play.

Manchester United are hoping to qualify for next season's Champions league either by finishing in the Premier League's top four or winning the Europa League.

"We have to fight with everything we have to play Champions League next season. How can we do that? Win the Europa League or finish top four. So we have to fight to open doors. If one day a door closes then we have another door open. My feeling is that we will fight with everything we have in both competitions."

Mourinho however said that if United, who have been in the Champions League just once in the last three seasons, were to miss out again, it would not be too much of a problem given their stature in the game.

"I have a special feeling in the Europa League and the players the same because it's a competition we can win," he said. "It can give us the same as the top four but it can give us a title. We won one-and-a-half titles [the EFL Cup and Community Shield] this season, but we have to fight for the Europa League and we have been doing that since the start of the competition.

"Ten matches already -- [in] Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, France, Belgium, Holland. We are going around Europe, fighting and playing Thursday evenings and going to the Premier League at the weekend."