Romero Will Start Against Anderlecht

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed Sergio Romero will start ahead of David De Gea in Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg against Anderlecht.

The Argentinian goalkeeper has featured in eight of the Reds' 11 matches in the competition this season and was most recently named in the starting XI for last week’s 1-1 draw with the Belgian club in Brussels.

However, when asked if Romero is now the club's confirmed first choice for the rest of the European campaign, Mourinho told the media: "No, he's not my goalkeeper for the Europa League. He's my goalkeeper for tomorrow.

"He was my goalkeeper in the other matches, but he's not my goalkeeper for the Europa League. I never like to do that complete separation. I can say the priority for Sergio is to play in the Europa League, yes, but we had some matches where David played.

“David’s priority is to play in the Premier League but I don't like the complete separation. I cannot say every match is for one or the other. The reality is that Sergio is very stable, he's very experienced, he's playing very well. He played in the Premier League [against Sunderland], he played well. He played in the FA Cup, he played well. He played in the League Cup, he played well.

“Every time he plays, he plays well. He's very stable and it's very important to have goalkeepers playing because if not, then one day you could have a problem when one goalkeeper has to play and doesn't have the feeling of the match. I always like to rotate my goalkeepers in different competitions but without that complete separation of 'this competition is for me, this competition is for you'.”

After Mourinho's press conference, Romero held his own briefing at the Aon Training Complex, where he spoke confidently about Thursday’s match and United's bid to reach the Europa League semi-finals.

"We've got to concentrate on doing our jobs, on implementing the manager's ideas and tactics for the game, and doing our best to try to get through to the next stage," Romero said.

Sergio was also asked how he feels about generally being De Gea's deputy. He replied: "I think when you get a chance to come to a massive club like Manchester United, even though you might be aware of the fact you're coming initially as a second choice keeper, it's a challenge you want to take up. 

"You grab it with both hands, if you like. What I try to do is work hard in every training session, throughout each week, to try to show to the manager that I'm ready and to show to everybody if I am called upon, I'm in good shape myself, confidence wise and ability wise, to go out there and not let the team down. 

"As I say, it was something that you always hope to try to be number one and it's something you work for every week. Certainly to come here it was a great opportunity and a great challenge to accept."