UEFA Europa League Final 2017: Ajax v Manchester United

Buy Europa League Final 2017 tickets for Ajax v Manchester United

Titan club Manchester United travel to Friends Arena in Solna Sweden to compete with giant club Ajax for Europa League glory and silverware as the two teams battle for the 2017 UEFA Europa League trophy on Wednesday, May 24. Great legal Ajax v Manchester tickets are still available at the last minute securely online from the world famous reliable football ticket marketplace, LiveFootballTickets.com!

Buy Europa League Final 2017 Ajax v Manchester United Tickets

The exciting 2016-17 England Premier League season has officially ended on Championship Sunday. Jose Mourinho’s skilled Manchester United have earned the opportunity to fight for the Europa League title and all of their efforts are focused on winning the clash against Ajax on Wednesday. A Europa League Final victory against Ajax will not be easy. A very young and confident Ajax have been playing dazzling and offensive football throughout the season with bold, aggressive players on their side. To experience another European final is an opportunity and privilege for the Manchester United footballers who are hoping for a good outcome to start the summer break in the best possible way. Manchester United fans will want to continue their incredible support throughout the entire season by traveling to Stockholm, Sweden for the Europa League Final 2017.

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The Reds finished sixth in the 2016-17 season, which was already confirmed ahead of Sunday’s 2-0 win against Crystal Palace. Manchester United earned 69 points, only seven shy of a top four England Premier League spot that ended up with champions Chelsea on top in first place, runners-up Tottenham Hotspur, third-placed Manchester City, and fourth-placed Liverpool. Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side missed out on the Champions League tournament for the first time in 20 years.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson backed former managerial rival Arsene Wenger against criticism he is facing for finishing fifth this season. "It's quite easy to say 'Get rid of him', but who do you get?” said Ferguson. “Who do you get in to keep that club the way they are for the next 20 years? I really feel sorry for him because I think he's shown outstanding qualities." In his debut season at Manchester United, boss Jose Mourinho named United’s youngest starting XI in Premier League history, with the average age of the team standing at 22 years and 284 days. Mourinho handed senior debuts to left-back Demetri Mitchell, goal-scorer Josh Harrop and substitute Angel Gomes, along with first-ever starts to Joel Pereira and Scott McTominay. In total, there were 12 Academy graduates in the match day squad.

Josh Harrop joined a select band of players who scored on their league debut, with Marcus Rashford and James Wilson having achieved the feat, as Harrop became United’s 100th different scorer in the Premier League. “It’s a dream come true,” said Harrop. With winning in Stockholm on Wednesday a priority, Reds manager Jose Mourinho omitted from the starting squad Sergio Romero, Antonio Valencia, Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Marcus Rashford. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Michael Carrick, and Wayne Rooney did feature, but Mourinho ensured none of them played full matches against the Eagles.

Former superstar Man United goalie, Edwin Van der Sar still holds United close to his heart, but the current CEO of Ajax will only support one club this week. "I would rather have had them in the semi-final," said Van der Sar, "But it didn’t happen and we have to face them in Stockholm. It is fantastic – but it is only fantastic if we win the cup." Peter Bosz, manager of Amsterdam club Ajax, rejected the opportunity to play a friendly match at the weekend to rest his players: "We have already played some 56 official matches this season and that’s enough. You don’t need those after a busy season. We think training is preparation enough."

Center-back Phil Jones believes Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has some tough decisions to make as the boss finalizes his Manchester United starting team for Wednesday's UEFA Europa League final against Ajax in Stockholm. Jones played in United’s 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League finale, but admits the chief focus for his side has long been on the showdown in Sweden and the opportunity to not only lift a third trophy of the season but also to earn a spot in next season's Champions League. Jones desires a spot in the defense with Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly unavailable. Mourinho will be deciding the exact composition of his starting XI as the big showpiece approaches.

"We have to win," said Jones. "In a nutshell, probably it is make or break. It's a defining moment in our season and we need to make sure we win the game. We want Champions League football; it's what we have to do to win the game. "We know Champions League football is the end goal, but we need to earn the right to be in the Champions League and that's by winning on Wednesday night,” added Jones. “We've no God-given right to win the Europa League. We deserve to be there. We deserve to be in the final, but we have to show up and prove we are good enough and that's what we will do. I'm more than ready to adapt to whatever the manager decides."

"He's got 11 tough decisions to make but I've said all along that whoever plays will go out and do the job to the best of their ability,” continued Jones. "He's rotated the squad to give people a rest, freshen people up, give minutes. I think he's got a terrific balance of the squad going into Wednesday. The people who are fit are raring to go and raring to be selected. There are a lot of games. Manchester United want to be playing in every competition so there are going to be a lot of games. We would be disappointed if we weren't in every competition. That means we weren't successful. I can understand the lads' tiredness; we've had a lot of games. But we need to give it one more big push on Wednesday night."

"I still would've liked to play more this season," said Jones regarding his injury. "I've picked up a few injuries that were unfortunate, shall we say. Still I feel I've had a good season. When I've played, I feel like we went on a run of 25 games unbeaten. Every time I started I think we lost once until I came back against Arsenal. I think I've had a good season; hopefully I can play more next season and be better. He is a great manager to work for. This season, I've thoroughly enjoyed it under him. Even when I was out of the team at the start of the season, he always gave me confidence I would get into the team if I was training and playing well. He was true to his word. He always made me feel wanted and I owe him a lot for that."

Manchester United's injured players will make the trip to Sweden to cheer their colleagues on in the Europa League Final. Manager Jose Mourinho has revealed even those on crutches will be present at the Friends Arena in Stockholm to show the togetherness in the squad. Superstar Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be back in his homeland after injury resulting in knee surgery cut short his season. Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo and Ashley Young are also due to travel to Scandinavia for the crucial battle with Ajax. "Everybody goes," said Mourinho. "We have a few on crutches, but everybody goes. It's a fantastic group of players and fantastic spirit since the beginning of the season. A difficult run, lots of matches. We spent more time travelling, playing, in hotels than at home because 60-something matches means 140 days in hotels, so we spent half of the year together. That is only possible when the spirit is amazing; crutches for Young, for Shaw, for Rojo, for Zlatan, but we all go together."

Manchester United Legends at Camp Nou

The Manchester United Legends will be back in action this summer with a trip to Barcelona to take on the Catalan giants. The clash for charity at the Nou Camp takes place on Friday 30 June, kicking off at 19:00 local time (18:00 UK), and is sure to be fun for both sets of players. "Barcelona is a special place to go and play," said ex-Manchester United star Paul Scholes. "I had some great nights there but also had some difficult nights there to be honest with you. I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be nice to spend a weekend with the other players and the football is always the key part of it but I’ll tell you after the game if it’s enjoyable or not!" Scholes is expected to be joined by former colleagues Jesper Blomqvist, Ronny Johnsen and Dwight Yorke in the showpiece occasion. Barcelona will be coached by Jose Mari Bakero and may include Miguel Angel Nadal, Ludovic Giuly and Juliano Belletti in their line-up.

No parade plans for the Reds after Europa League Final

No parade is planned for Manchester United, even if they win in Stockholm . The Reds will not stage a victory parade in the city centre if they win the Europa League. United are the favourites to win the trophy when they take on Ajax in the final on Wednesday in Stockholm. A victory in the showpiece would mean a haul of three trophies this season, with the Charity Shield and League Cup already won. If United beat Dutch side Ajax, they will become just the fifth club to win all three major European trophies, including the old Cup Winners’ Cup. If United win the Europa League Final, there will be no repeat of the celebration of the triple in 1998-99, when an estimated 500,000 fans filled Manchester city centre for an open top bus parade after the Reds won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. At a parade in 2013, nearly 100,000 fans lined the streets to celebrate the club’s record 20th top-flight title and mark the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign at Old Trafford. United did not have a procession last summer when they beat Crystal Palace to lift the FA Cup.

Terrorist Attack at Manchester Arena

Manchester and England residents are saddened by the news tonight of a bombing at Manchester Arena. More than 19 people have been killed and 50 more injured after a suspected terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena. Thousands of music fans were packed into the venue to see American singer Ariana Grande when two explosions were heard. Minutes later eyewitnesses described seeing people "running and screaming" from the arena, with some covered in blood. Greater Manchester Police released a statement just after 1am on Tuesday. "19 people have been confirmed dead, with around 50 others injured," it said. The incident is now being treated as a terrorist attack. Armed police were joined by a bomb disposal unit as teams from across the region worked to secure the area and help the injured.