Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has named the one club he thinks can stop the Red Devils from winning the 2025 Europa League.
Mourinho, 61, led United to a Europa League triumph in 2017, with his side beating Ajax 2-0 in the final thanks to goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
And this season he will be hoping his Fenerbahçe side can replicate his previous success in the competition, having also won the 2003 edition of the competition with Porto - then-UEFA Cup - with a 3-2 victory over Celtic.
However, the Istanbul-based side currently sit in 21st place in the 36-team group phase, having won two, drawn two and lost two of their six games in this year’s competition.
Their current position would secure them a play-off place as an 'unseeded' team. They would then play a 'seeded' team who finished between ninth and 16th in the group phase.
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United currently sit in seventh place, having won three and drawn three of their games this campaign.
The Premier League side will face Rangers in the Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday 23 January.
And despite United being most people's favourites to win the 2025 edition of the competition, Mourinho has backed another club to potentially reign supreme.
"What I can say is one thing are the results that Manchester United are having and another thing is the potential of the team," he said during a press conference in October 2024.
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"The potential of the team is high, I think the two draws in the Europa League doesn’t favour us but also doesn’t make a huge difference.
"At the end of the day, this new format will always allow that the top teams are going to qualify. No problem for a top team to lose three or four matches out of eight because then they will win three or four, they will make 12 points easily and they qualify, so I think they are in a stable situation.
"If I have to say now which are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League, I think it’s easy – Man United and Tottenham."
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Of course, the Portuguese managed Spurs between 2019 and 2021. Ange Postecoglou's side are currently ninth in the group phase.
"The Premier League is a different level of quality, it’s a different level of intensity, it’s a different level of pace, it’s a different level of tactical culture, it’s a different level of everything," he added.
Topics: Manchester United, Europa League, Jose Mourinho, Fenerbahce, Paul Pogba, Ajax, Rangers
Luke Davies