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Jose Mourinho ruffled Chris Smalling and Phil Jones' feathers... now he badly needs both to fight for him as nerves grow in Vigo ahead of Celta clash in Europa League semi-final

Looking out over the Ria de Vigo bay from Manchester United's base in Spain, Jose Mourinho will have plenty to occupy his thoughts.

This has been a slog of a season and one that has no guarantee of ending happily for United and their manager.

Failure to navigate a passage through Thursday night's tricky Europa League semi-final first leg against Celta Vigo on the Atlantic coast of northern Spain could have serious consequences for United's hopes of winning this competition and avoiding another season of Thursday night football.

Mourinho has all but written off their chances of returning to the Champions League by finishing in the top four and it's not hard to see why.