Anderlecht president Roger Vanden Stock admits that Manchester United were the toughest possible team his club could have pulled out of the hat for their Europa League quarter-final.
Manchester United are being considered one of the favorites to win the Europa League this season and many feel they are strongest surviving team in the competition at the moment.
The draw for the quarter-finals took place on Friday and Anderlecht were drawn out of the hat to face Manchester United next month, with the second leg set to be played at Old Trafford.
Manchester United are overwhelming favourites to get through to the last four of the Europa League and Vanden Stock also admits that they are the toughest side Anderlecht could have hoped to play against.
However, the Anderlecht president has not given hope and insisted that his side have already shown this season that they can overturn the odds in the Europa League.
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“With Manchester United, we have the toughest opponents we could get”, Vanden Stock told Sporza.
“But, you know of course, never [lose hope]; nobody would have thought that we could get past Zenit [in the last 32].
“Manchester United are a team of the level of the Champions League, but if we qualify, I’ll burn more candles.”
Anderlecht have a unique place in Manchester United’s history as they were the English giants’ first opponents in European competition in 1956.
The two teams last met in the group stage of the Champions League in 2000.
