Mousa targets Euro success

Mousa Dembele hopes we can mount another strong challenge in the Europa League this season and has stressed the importance of avoiding an early exit.

We face the first leg of our Play-Off Round tie against AEL Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday evening, with both sides competing for a place in the Group Stage.

Limassol scalped Zenit St Petersburg on home soil in a Champions League qualifier earlier this summer.

Although they lost that tie on aggregate, Mousa is taking nothing for granted ahead of our first leg meeting.

“It will be difficult game,” said the midfielder who, along with Belgian compatriots Jan Vertonghen and Nacer Chadli, returned to training a few weeks ago after representing the Red Devils at the World Cup.

“We can’t underestimate Limassol. It’s going to be very important for us to get through to the Group Stage.

“We have a good squad so we have a good chance to do well. It would be great to make a mark in the competition. It’s something everybody here wants.”

Meanwhile, the 27-year-old midfielder admitted it’s been a tough but enjoyable spell on the training ground as he and our other World Cup participants bid to get themselves ready for action after their staggered returns from international duty in Brazil.

“It’s been very good and although the training sessions are hard, we feel already that we have become more and more fit and that’s very good for us,” added Mousa.

“When we came back the other players were already very fit but for us we want to get there very quickly – especially now the season has already started. As a player you want to play every game, but the season is long and with the Europa League we have a lot of games so there’s a lot to look forward to in the future.”