Mourinho happy with Europa League draw

English Premier League side Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho on Monday expressed happiness over drawing with Saint-Etienne in the Europa League round of 32.

The Red Devils will host the eighth-placed Ligue 1 club at Old Trafford in the first leg on Thursday 16 February before travelling to France for the second leg on February 22.

"It is a short flight (that) is the only thing is that is really good because we've had Ukraine and Istanbul, and February is a busy period with lots of matches," Mourinho to MUTV. "So it's good for us that it is a short flight.

"It's a French club and they have quality. It's a historical club; despite many years without titles, it's a big club with big tradition. It's the club where Michel Platini, before he went to Italy, did amazingly well in an amazing team that was dominant in France in that period, so it's a historical club. And the extra curiosity of a beautiful thing which is two brothers playing against each other."

The world's most expensive player Paul Pogba will be seen playing against brother Florentin, a defender who has scored one goal in 13 appearances this season for the French club. Mourinho joked that he can ask his summer signing for advice on dealing with his sibling across the two-legged European tie.

"He knows his brother better than anyone, so obviously, in terms of the individual analysis, I think he can give us the best opinion about his brother," the boss said. "But we have to follow the same route, the same process. The analysts who are working for us are doing an extremely good job."

--IANS

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