Herrera Excited By Europa League Draw

Manchester United have never won the Europa League and Ander Herrera dreams of making history by lifting the trophy this season, preferably after facing his former team Athletic Club.

The group-stage draw takes place at 12:00 BST on Friday and the Reds are expected to be seeded in pot one, alongside Herrera's former La Liga outfit. Speaking to MUTV, the Spaniard offered his view of the competition this season and looked forward to discovering which teams Jose Mourinho's men would face.

"I think it is a very enjoyable competition and we want to fight for every competition we have this season," Herrera told MUTV. "The Europa League has become more important every season - I think UEFA has worked very well on that. I think we are the biggest club in the draw and we have to respect our history. We want to fight for that title and we are very excited to see the draw.

"The players want as many games as possible so we have the chance to play every Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. It is very important for us. Everyone is going to be important. We can play against big teams as well. I have the chance to play against my former team and I think it is a very good competition.

"Last season another English club [Liverpool] lost the final against Sevilla. Then when you win the competition you have the chance to play in the Super Cup so everything is positive. There will be time for everyone in the squad and hopefully we can get as far as possible in the competition."

Although it seems unlikely that United will be drawn against Athletic Club in the group stage, after the teams finished fifth in their respective leagues, Herrera remains optimistic that he could face his former employers in the latter stages of the competition. Ander agrees that would be a special fixture for him.

"Of course it would be! I spent three fantastic years there," he said. "When I left my home in Zaragoza, I was there for 12 years, I arrived to Bilbao and everything that I expected was even better. It was a fantastic club with fantastic people working there. I really felt at home very quickly and my family is from Bilbao as well. So of course if we face Athletic then that will be a very special game for me."

The 48 clubs in Friday’s draw will be split into 12 groups of four and Herrera is intrigued to learn his opposition. Quizzed specifically about his preferences, whether he would like the easiest possible draw or an early challenge, the Spaniard admitted he thinks more about geography than difficulty.

"Honestly, I want the closest possible opponents," the 27-year-old joked. "When you travel for long trips sometimes you get more tired. I think there are some clubs from Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and I think they are the farthest. When I see the draw I would like the opponent to be as close as possible.

"But after that I don’t mind. If you want to win the competition you have to play against the best teams so it doesn’t matter if it is in the group or later on."