#3 Manchester United
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Jose Mourinho would like to tell you that should his side win the Europa League, then the season will have been a success. It’s hard to agree with Mourinho though when you look at how his team have performed for the majority of the season and where they’re likely to finish in the Premier League.
The summer of 2016 saw them outspend everyone in Europe as they shelled out a monstrous £149m on Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly. And while Zlatan Ibrahimovic was technically a free transfer, his exorbitant wages and signing on fees make a mockery of the word “free”. And for all that money spent, the best position they can now finish is fifth, outside of the Champions League qualification zone.
Sure, a victory in the Europa League – which is far from a guarantee given the form of their opponents Ajax – would put them back into the Champions League, but come on – Mourinho was supposed to be the missing piece that would bring back the glory days to United, days the club hasn’t seen since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Instead, it’s been a Louis Van Gaal redux – a tonne of dull draws, Wayne Rooney looking way past his sell-by-date, and the likes of Pogba and Anthony Martial failing to live up to their hype. Mourinho might deny it but it’s hard to see this season as anything but a choke job for the Red Devils.
