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Manchester United lift the Europa League trophy to secure Champions League football for next season

Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan celebrate
Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan celebrate

Manchester United lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy in Stockholm to secure Champions League football for next season.

Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan got the goals to clinch a 2-0 victory over Ajax and give manager Jose Mourinho his second piece of silverware of the season after United’s League Cup win in February.

It means United will be playing in Europe’s top club competition next term despite missing out on a top-four finish in the Premier League, with Chelsea, Tottenham, Man City and Liverpool joining them.

Mourinho can now look back on this campaign as relatively successful as he prepares to assemble a squad capable of competing domestically as well as against the continent’s best teams.

The Special One picked Juan Mata in midfield after telling reporters he needed to go with experienced heads in Stockholm.

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Paul Pogba scored the opening goal
Paul Pogba scored the opening goal

Jesse Lingard dropped to the bench and Mourinho hinted he wanted to save the pace of the winger for the latter stages of the clash and unleash him on a tiring Ajax defence.

Captain Wayne Rooney was also among the substitutes despite starting the previous three Premier League matches as Antonio Valencia wore the armband and led the team out.

A minute’s silence was observed to remember those who sadly lost their lives in the horrific terrorist attack in Manchester earlier this week before kick-off at the Friends Arena.

The men from Amsterdam started brightly and on-loan Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore forced Sergio Romero into an early save from a difficult angle.

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Thumbs up from Jose Mourinho
Thumbs up from Jose Mourinho

Mourinho was just starting to get a bit twitchy in the dugout when United found an early breakthrough to settle his nerves.

It came from a man who has so often found himself on the end of a bit of stick this year after his record-breaking transfer from Juventus. Pogba made his mark.

He had a considerable slice of luck as his strike took a deflection off Davinson Sanchez and made its way past goalkeeper Andre Onana to open the scoring for the heavy favourites.

The gulf in class between the two sides was not as big as many would have expected though and the underdogs certainly had enough of the ball to suggest they could cause United problems.

Mourinho’s troops held onto their lead at half time but Red Devils fans have seen enough narrow leads slip away this season to start celebrating at this stage.

United have been guilty of failing to kill off teams this season and a second goal was required to give themselves a bit of much-needed breathing space.

Manchester United players are triumphant
Manchester United players are triumphant

Three minutes after the restart and they got it. Smalling won his header from a corner and knocked it down for Mkhitaryan to finish acrobatically from close range.

Ajax fielded the youngest starting XI ever to appear in a major European final for this clash and in the end it was the experience of the Red Devils that shone through.

They had the tactical nous to close out the game, something Mourinho’s teams have always been known for down the years, and this United team is no different.

Adding a few more goals to the squad with some new recruits this summer and the Special One will fancy his chances of challenging for more honours.

Skipper Rooney may not be the man to provide them any longer and was given a late walk-on role in what could very well be his final appearance in a Manchester United shirt.

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