Manchester United manager José Mourinho has confirmed that Sergio Romero will start Thursday's clash with Anderlecht, with the boss stating the importance having both Romero and first-choice goalkeeper David De Gea playing on a regular basis.
Never looking for that complete separation
Romero has played a bit part for the Red Devils since his free transfer from Sampadoria back in 2015, but the world-cup finalist has took a much more prominent role under Mourinho especially in the last of leg of the season.
The 30-year-old will make his 14th appearance of the season on Thursday night, with Romero playing nine of the club's 12 Europa League clashes so far in the current campaign.
Cup competitions are where Romero has shone for United having totalled five Premier League appearances thus far, but Mourinho insisted that the "separation" in terms of what competitions he plays in isn't something he wants.
"No, he's not my goalkeeper for the Europa League," Mourinho told his pre-match press conference. "He was my goalkeeper in the other matches, but he's not my goalkeeper for the Europa League."
"I never like to do that complete separation," the manager admitted to the gathered press. "I can say the priority for Sergio is to play in the Europa League, yes, but we had some matches where David played."
"Every time he plays, he plays well," the 54-year-old stated. "He's very stable and it's very important to have goalkeepers playing."
Great challenge to accept
Romero has seen more frequent game time in the past few weeks, making his first league appearance of the season in the 3-0 defeat of relegation favourites Sunderland.
His rise has come with De Gea's rumoured fall in concentration, with talk of a summer move to Real Madrid beginning to hot up once again as the season nears its close.
There have been rumours of concern amongst the United staff over his concentration levels, coupled with his supposed fall out with Mourinho for dropping him for the trip to the North East.
The Spaniard was reinstated for Sunday's crucial victory over Chelsea, but Romero stated his intentions to battle for the No 1 jersey.
"I think when you get a chance to come to a massive club like Manchester United," he said "Even though you might be aware of the fact you're coming initially as a second choice keeper."
"It's a challenge you want to take up," the Argentine stated. "You grab it with both hands, if you like."
"As I say, it was something that you always hope to try to be number one and it's something you work for every week," Romero concluded. "Certainly to come here it was a great opportunity and a great challenge to accept."