Manchester United’s weekend defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League has raised the pressure on Jose Mourinho’s side ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second-leg against Celta Vigo, where the Red Devils hold a 1-0 aggregate advantage.

Sitting four points behind the top-four with three games to play, Manchester United’s chances of leapfrogging Manchester City or Liverpool to a Champions League spot in the Premier League now look slim- especially as they’re due to face Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

Fortunately for Jose Mourinho’s side, the Red Devils have another avenue ahead of them in the quest to secure Champions League football as winning the Europa League would see Manchester United join Europe’s elite next season.

However, Mourinho’s decision to focus on the European exploits, shown by his eight changes to his team at the Emirates Stadium, increases the pressure upon Manchester United as they now have to emerge victorious in the Europa League.

Set to host Celta Vigo on Thursday, and holding an advantage from the first-leg, Manchester United should be able to secure their place in the final but their likely opponents, Ajax, should not be taken lightly and can cause problems.

The Dutch side defeated Lyon 4-1 in the first-leg last week, putting them on the verge of reaching the final, and their talented young side has nothing to fear, with Manchester United instead facing all of the pressure.

If Manchester United win the Europa League, then a season which has seen the Red Devils lift two trophies and qualify for the Champions League will go down as a success. However defeat, and the consequent absence from Europe’s elite competition for another season, would see Mourinho’s maiden campaign at Old Trafford deemed as a failure.

Fortunately, Manchester United will have fresh legs on Thursday due to their wealth of chances in yesterday’s match and the return of a more familiar starting line-up should be enough to see the Red Devils seal their place in the final.

Should that occur, Manchester United will likely continue to rest key-players in the closing weeks of the Premier League season as the prioritise their Europa League involvement, which again would raise pressure on the players to perform when the showcase final comes around.

Manchester United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League via their Premier League position are not mathematically over yet though but defeat against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend would bring a premature end to their charge, especially as Arsenal can leapfrog United during their midweek clash with Southampton.

United may have fallen short of many people’s objectives this season but their fate is in their own hands and this transitional season can still go down as a success- but only if the Europa League is lifted.