Romero eyes Europa League title ahead of birthday trip to Saint-Etienne

22 February 2017 13:43

Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero says he has always been confident of winning the Europa League this season as he prepares to play on his 30th birthday.

Romero is in line to make his fifth appearance in the competition this season on Wednesday as United look to finish the job in their last-32 tie with Saint-Etienne.

Jose Mourinho’s are 3-0 up going into the away leg courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s first-leg hat-trick, but the Argentina international is not taking anything for granted.

“We have always believed we could win this competition,” Romero told the club’s official website.

“We have a duty, as Manchester United players, to go as far as we possibly can in every competition, whether that is the Premier League, the FA Cup or the Europa League.

“It is definitely not over. I played at that ground two years ago when I was at Monaco and their team spirit combined with the passion of the fans creates a powerful atmosphere.

“It puts you under a lot of pressure, but we have got to stick to our game; be calm on the ball, pick the right time to press and dictate the tempo. We need to make sure that we go through to the next round.

“We will play our own game and try to carry out the manager’s instructions. We have a great manager that plans and prepares for every match, so we will do what he asks us to on the pitch and hopefully come back to Manchester with smiles on our faces.”

He’s 30 today! #MUFC pic.twitter.com/YpPvXKULVm

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 22, 2017

On his expected outing, Romero added: “It would be nice to start. I am always ready to play so if I am picked I will try to be at 100 per cent for that game, which falls on my birthday.

“I will obviously be away from my wife and daughters [on my birthday], but I will be really happy if I am selected.

“I feel great and I am happy to be playing. It is always important to get the chance to help your team-mates on the field.

“I need to get minutes under my belt to keep my place in the national team and these games are also a mental boost for me because they show me that I am at the right level to play in this league as well as for the national team.”