Man United to play 'Pogba Derby' but will Red Devils take Europa League seriously?

The Premier League’s finest may not feel entirely happy about their Champions League Round of 16 opposition, but the draw was much kinder to the English sides in the Europa League.

After slipping out of the big competition at the group stage, Tottenham will face Gent, who currently sit in fifth place in the Belgian top flight. Manchester United, meanwhile, will enjoy their first meeting with St. Etienne in almost 40 years.

Jose Mourinho’s side finished second in their group behind Fenerbahce, which means they were liable to face more high-profile seeded teams like Athletic Bilbao or Borussia Moenchengladbach.

However, they will surely feel happy about a meeting with AS St Etienne—who go by the slightly unfortunate acronym ASSE—as they currently sit eighth in Ligue 1, having won just two of their last seven outings.

The game is highly likely to be referred to as “The Pogba Derby” in all media coverage going forward. For the first time on the European stage, Paul Pogba will face his older brother Florentin, who plays as a defender for ASSE.

Just imagine how much dabbing there is going to be.

United are 4/1 favorites to win the competition with most bookies, and the Pogba Derby should do little to harm their chances. The folks at OPTA have provided a few stats that will make pleasing reading for the Old Trafford faithful:

St Etienne last played the Red Devils in October 1977 in the first round of the European Cup Winners’ Cup (an early iteration of the Europa League). United progressed 3-1 on aggregate, but their European adventure was cut short in the next round by Porto.

The French side’s heydey came in the 1960s, when they won five league titles. They also won three-in-a-row in the 1970s, but since winning the title for the last time in 1981, they only have a French League Cup to their name.

The only possible X-factor in United’s progression through the tournament could be the importance that Mourinho and the club choose to place upon it.

As they battle to finish in the top four of the Premier League, the temptation to play a second-string side in Europe’s second-string competition may be high. The Special One won the trophy with his famous Porto side in 2003 (in its previous guise as the UEFA Cup), but he has already said that he does not want his side to be in the competition this time around.

There are, however, many compelling reasons for United to take the Europa League seriously.

Mou’s side are six points off the pace in the race for the top four, so there is a strong chance that it will provide the most viable route into the Champions League for next season. And of course, some major European silverware may serve to silence the doubters in the 53-year-old’s first season on charge in Manchester.

Whatever path Moruinho chooses to take, it’s likely that fringe players like Memphis Depay and Bastian Schweinsteiger will like their chances of some European action. Well, OK, maybe not Schweinsteiger.

The first leg at Old Trafford will take place on Thursday February 16th.