Jones admits United have to win Europa League final

Phil Jones admits Manchester United’s season will only be deemed a success if they win their Europa League final against Ajax, on Wednesday.

The Red Devils have already won the League Cup but having finished sixth in the Premier League they will only feature in next season’s Champions League if they beat Ajax in Stockholm.

Having broken the world transfer record to sign Paul Pogba, while also bringing in Bundesliga Player of the Season Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ligue 1 Player of the Year Zlatan Ibrahimovic, big things were expected of United.

While they could still end up with two pieces of silverware, they have largely failed to deliver, and Jones is well-aware that only victory over their Dutch opponents will be good enough.

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

“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. 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.”