Manchester United have been handed a tough task in the group stage of this season’s Europa League, after being drawn with Fenerbahce, Feyenoord and the Ukrainian side Zorya.
United missed out on qualification for the Champions League after finishing fifth in the Premier League last season, so have to make do with Thursday-night duty this season. Fenerbahce and Feyenoord have been regulars in Europe’s top competition in recent years, but neither qualified this year after finishing as runners-up in their respective leagues. Fenerbahce lost to Monaco in the Champions League third qualifying round.
Southampton, the only other English side in the competition, will play Internazionale, Sparta Prague and the Israeli club Hapoel Beer-Sheva, who lost to Celtic in the Champions League qualifiers.
The draw will see the Fenerbahce striker Robin van Persie face two of his former clubs: Manchester United, who he left for Turkey in 2015, and Feyenoord, with whom he started his career before moving to Arsenal in 2004.
West Ham were eliminated from the competition before the group stage, after they were eliminated in the qualifiers by Astra Giurgiu, who secured a 2-1 win at the London Stadium on Thursday night.
The first round of games will take place on September 15.
Europa League draw in full
Group A: Manchester United, Fenerbahce, Feyenoord, Zorya Luhansk
Group B: Olympiacos, Apoel Nicosia, Young Boys, Astana
Group C: Anderlecht, St Etienne, Mainz, Qabala
Group D: Zenit, AZ Alkmaar, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Dundalk
Group E: Viktoria Plzen, Roma, Austria Vienna, Astra
Group F: Athletic Bilbao, Genk, Rapid Vienna, Sassuolo
Group G: Ajax, Standard Liege, Celta Vigo, Panathinaikos
Group H: Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga, Gent, Konyaspor
Group I: Schalke, Salzburg, Krasnodar, Nice
Group J: Fiorentina, PAOK, Slovan Liberec, Qarabag,
Group K: Internazionale, Sparta Prague, Southampton, Hapoel Beer-Sheva
Group L: Villarreal, Steaua Bucharest, Zurich, Osmanlispor
