Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has included a somewhat surprise name in his Europa League squad for the 2019/20 season.
As reported by the Daily Mirror, young goalkeeper Matej Kovar, a 19-year-old from the Czech Republic, has earned a place in the group, despite up to now being a relative unknown.
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This perhaps illustrates Solskjaer’s likely approach to the competition, with many long expecting that United and other big clubs would rather field youth in the Europa League than put in a particularly big effort to try and win it.
That said, the Red Devils got the balance right in the 2016/17 season when they did lift the trophy under Jose Mourinho, though successes in this competition are rarely remembered as fondly as other bigger prizes.
A club like United will want to focus on getting back into the Champions League next season, and unless it is clear they cannot do so by finishing in the top four of the Premier League, it’s unlikely they will put in a huge effort in the Europa League.
We did, however, see an all-English final in this competition just a few months back as Chelsea beat Arsenal 4-1 in Baku, denying the Gunners the chance to qualify for the Champions League by winning the final.