Mourinho primed for 'must-win' Europa League tie
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has labelled Friday's Europa League clash with Zorya Luhansk as "must win" for the Premier League side.
United welcomes the Ukrainian side to Old Trafford on Friday desperately seeking its first points in Group A, the Red Devils having lost their opener 1-0 at Feyenoord on matchday one.
Many expected Mourinho to treat the Europa League as secondary to his side's Premier League exploits, but the United boss is fully focused on progressing in Europe as well.
"It's very important," he said. "To be honest I think we have to win.
"If we don't win, we have four matches [left in the group] and I would say we have to all the last four matches, which is difficult. We need to win."
Mourinho rested a number of first-team stars for the opening game of the group at De Kuip, but he will change his approach against Zorya, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial both included.
"Zlatan starts," Mourinho said.
"We have two matches and then he has two weeks without football. For him he just has to play tomorrow and then against Stoke [City on Sunday], then two weeks without football. Zlatan is one of the players who will have plenty of time to recover.
"He [Martial] is now recovered from the contusion - not a concussion. He has recovered and he is ready."
United, though, will be without Luke Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
"Luke Shaw is ill. [He has a] temperature, fever, bad throat," said Mourinho on Wednesday. "He arrived this morning and the doctor sent him home.
"[Mkhitaryan] is not playing."
