Manchester United travel to high-flying Nottingham Forest when the Premier League returns at the start of April.
Ruben Amorim’s side have struggled this season and currently sit 13th in the top flight table, meaning they are on course to miss out on qualification for European football next season.
Winning the Europa League could be United’s best chance of qualifying for the Champions League next term, with the Red Devils facing French side Lyon in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Away from the action, it appears that United’ chances of signing one of their transfer targets could hinge on whether or not they win the Europa League.
According to The Sun, United are eyeing a move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite this summer and are willing to meet the player’s price tag.
The report claims that the Englishman, who missed out on a place in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad, would be open to the idea of joining United if they win the Europa League and qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Branthwaite is a target for Man United
Branthwaite, 22, joined the Toffees from boyhood club Carlisle United in 2020 and has since had loan spells with Blackburn Rovers and PSV Eindhoven.
The centre-back has now made 78 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, but his impressive displays have attracted interest from elsewhere.
Last summer United had two separate bids for Branthwaite rejected, but the report claims that the Manchester club have continued keeping tabs on the defender and are plotting a fresh approach for this summer.
Current United centre-backs Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are both set to be out of contract this summer, and the report suggests that the club will be on the hunt for defensive reinforcements with the pair set to depart Old Trafford.