Sir Alex Ferguson has helped choose this season’s best performing squad of players relating to Europa League performances.
Uefa have unveiled their 18-man ‘Europa League squad of the season’ on their website this week, following on from Sevilla’s 3-2 win over Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the final.
The likes of former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson helped the committee select the players that have most impressed since the beginning of the competition, and unsurprisingly Sevilla and Dnipro players featured heavily in the group of outstanding performers.
But what should be of particular interest to Premier League fans is that a number of players who have been closely linked to English clubs in recent months also made the list.
Arsenal have been linked to Sevilla’s Polish star Grzegorz Krychowiak before by publications such as the Mirror, and his opener for the Spanish side on Wednesday will have done his cause no harm at all, while Manchester United are just one of the many clubs sure to be looking at Colombian hit man Carlos Bacca, according to the Express, as he turned match winner in the final with a brace.
Dnipro winger Yevhen Konoplyanka has been closely linked to both Spurs and Stoke in recent days, with Talksport suggesting he could sign for either when his contract expires in June, and he is also included as one of four attackers.
Additionally, former West Brom midfielder Borja Valero is included for Fiorentina, while ex QPR man Stephane Mbia and former Chelsea playmaker Kevin De Bruyne are also involved.
Here is the entire 18-man squad selected by the panel as the tournament’s best group:
Goalkeepers
Denys Boyko (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Sergio Rico (Sevilla FC)
Defenders
Douglas (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Faouzi Ghoulam (SSC Napoli), Timothee Kolodziejczak (Sevilla FC), Raul Albiol (SSC Napoli), Aleix Vidal (Sevilla FC)
Midfielders
Borja Valero (ACF Fiorentina), Kevin De Bruyne (VfL Wolfsburg), Ever Banega (Sevilla FC), Marek Hamsik (SSC Napoli), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Sevilla FC), Ruslan Rotan (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Stephane Mbia (Sevilla FC)
Forwards
Alan (FC Salzburg), Carlos Bacca (Sevilla FC), Gonzalo Higuain (SSC Napoli), Yevhen Konoplyanka (FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
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