MONCHI ON MANCHESTER UNITED: "THEY HAVE LOTS OF QUALITY"

Monchi spoke to the media to discuss the draw for the quarter-final of the UEFA Europa League. Talking about facing Manchester United and what it means to reach this stage of the competition, he said, "First of all, I want to express our satisfaction with reaching the quarterfinals. We should be happy and proud of what we have achieved. We didn't have much luck in the draw, but at this stage of the competition, you usually face a difficult and strong team. It's true that we have had the toughest route so far. We have experience in this competition, having won it six times, and we will go into it with optimism, and hoping to get a good result in Manchester and then advance to the next round with the support of our fans. We have to be ambitious."

He also added, "Sevilla fans had an exciting and joyous night last night, possibly the best moment of a quite difficult season. I have always said that one of the main aims of everyone who works at the club is to bring happiness to our fans, and today, there are surely many Sevilla fans already booking flights to Manchester, and that should motivate us even more for what lies ahead." However, Monchi did not hide the fact that he believes the English side are the favourites. "For me, Manchester should be the favorite, but we have injured players to comeback who will improve our level of competitiveness, and we have to think optimistically. A team that has won 6 Europa Leagues in the last 20 years has always been through suffering, difficult moments, and tough matches. Nobody has to show us the way, because we know the way."

"In this competition Sevilla FC always have to go into it with optimism, that has always been the way" 

Regarding Manchester United's progression in the competition and recognizing that he always likes to play the second leg at home, Monchi said, "Manchester United eliminated the La Liga leaders FC Barcelona. We know United's squad but there have been differences in our previous games against them in recent years and hopefully, we will be able to overcome them. In this competition, Sevilla FC always has to go with optimism, that has always been the way." He also highlighted the strengths of the Premier League side: "They surely have weak points, but they are not easy to find. They have quality and physical power, with very fast and tremendously talented players. They have put together a squad that has taken time to build, but now they are in the top 10 of European football, for sure."

Finally, Monchi spoke about Bryan Gil's call-up to the Spanish national team, which was also announced during the return trip to Seville: "Bryan deserves it because he has suffered and now he is going to enjoy it. We should all be happy because surely his loan to Sevilla has influenced that call-up, and I am very happy for him and his family."