Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho could welcome the return of defender Antonio Valencia for the Europa League quarter-final clash against Anderlecht on Thursday night.

The Red Devils recorded an emphatic 3-0 victory against Sunderland in their Premier League encounter on Sunday afternoon, courtesy of strikes by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford.

Mourinho was without the likes of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata for the victory against David Moyes’ side. However, the 54-year-old Portuguese mentor suggested that defender Antonio Valencia, who missed both the trips to encounters against Everton and Sunderland respectively, could be deemed fit to feature in his starting line-up for the tie in Brussels on Thursday evening.

‘We played with the players available [against Sunderland],’ he told the club’s official website.

‘Not one single player stayed in Manchester because we were thinking about resting them, or because we were thinking about rotation or about Anderlecht. Not at all.

‘These are the players available at the moment and, when I look to the others, I just expect Valencia to be ready to play and no more, I don’t think. I don’t think any one of the other boys will be ready to play,’ he added.

The Old Trafford-based outfit can return to Champions League football if they are successful in their venture to clinch the Europa League trophy.

The Red Devils travel to Brussels to face the 33-time Belgian champions in the first-leg of their quarter-final clash on Thursday night.

Both sides enter the fray on the back of an impressive five-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.

The match at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium kicks off at 21:05.

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