Mourinho: My Boys Will Be Ready

Manchester United will play a third game in eight days tonight but Jose Mourinho insists his players' professionalism and dedication will help them overcome any physical fatigue when facing FC Rostov.

The Europa League Round of 16 second leg at Old Trafford comes only 72 hours after United put in a brave and tireless shift in the narrow Emirates FA Cup defeat to Chelsea.

Now Mourinho’s men are out to capitalise on last Thursday’s 1-1 draw in Russia and book a place in the quarter-finals of a European competition the Reds are aiming to win for the first time.

The boss told MUTV: "Good people and good professionals find strength and energy, motivation and desire; even if the body is not fully ready, the mind is ready.

"It’s very important and I think the players are ready. Old Trafford can give them that little bit of extra energy for the match and play a part in helping us try to qualify.

"Our people can give us that extra support and the players deserve that last push, so I want to say the boys will be ready."

While nobody in the camp is looking too far ahead, Mourinho admits that, should United progress to Friday’s last-eight draw, some top-quality sides will still be involved in the competition.

"The teams are good," the manager said. "When you look to the possible people in the quarter-finals, you have Roma or Lyon, you have Besiktas, you have one of the two German teams [Schalke and Borussia Monchengladbach] and possibly Celta Vigo – it’s not easy.

"But we are going to try and the next step is obviously to try to be in the quarter-final draw."