After a season of work, it all comes down to this for Man Utd – and the fans in the Transfer Tavern are growing increasingly anxious…

Jose Mourinho has repeatedly prioritised the Europa League over the Premier League this season, and so far, this is a decision that has worked out well. Having comfortably secured their route through to the final, Man Utd are just 90 minutes of football away from the prospect of securing Champions League qualification ahead of next season – and the pressure is really on.

Mourinho, though, is a manager that thrives on pressure, and so the Portuguese will likely be looking forward to the event. Make no mistake, if the Red Devils lose, the buck will stop with the manager – and so he desperately needs to make a few big calls this evening.

He has utilised a fairly similar first team for much of the campaign, barring a few occasional surprises, and it has worked so far. This game, however, represents a different challenge – and a few major changes could help give his side the edge.

With that said, Mourinho needs to consider axing these 2 players from tonight’s Man Utd starting XI v Ajax…

 Sergio Romero

Sergio Romero looks set to start the game, as per Jose Mourinho’s comments, but perhaps the Portuguese boss should re-consider.

Whilst Romero has done well as of late, there is no doubting that De Gea is one of Europe’s best – and in big games, you need your biggest players.

He would undoubtedly offer a bit more stability and security between the sticks, and if a Romero mistake costs the Red Devils the game, Jose Mourinho will take the brunt of the blame.

Marouane Fellaini

 

Marouane Fellaini offers defensive stability, and this is clearly what attracts Jose Mourinho to him as a player – but in this game, that is not what Man Utd need.

His inability to get forward within the Man Utd setup really limits him, and the Red Devils play far more defensively and negatively as a result. Again an exciting Ajax team, this is not what they want.

They need to be more proactive and take the game to the Dutch outfit, so perhaps a more offensive option would be a wiser option.