Manchester United full back Antonio Valencia says he is “100 per cent up for it” ahead of the EFL Cup final against Southampton.
The red devils can lift their first piece of silverware this season as they travel to Wembley to take on Claude Puel’s men, and Valencia says United won’t give up the opportunity of lifting a trophy easily.
“In such an important game as a final, you really need to be mentally strong and fully focused on the game." The Ecuadorian said: “You can never be just at 30 per cent."
Valencia also insists that he and his teammates must forget about the build-up to the match and "focus on the task at hand."
“We cannot afford to make one single mistake, this is a final and we cannot lose our concentration for even one minute.”
United arrive in the capital in confident mood having conceded just once in their previous seven matches, and are favourites to lift the trophy over a Southampton side who have had an inconsistent season.
Their road to Wembley began with an away trip to League One side Northampton Town as Jose Mourinho consistently selected strong squads, which saw them navigate their way passed the likes of Manchester City and Hull City.
Impressive at full back
Valencia, 31, has been an invigorated figure at Old Trafford this season under new manager Jose Mourinho, often impressing at right full back.
And with United still in every competition they have entered this season, following their progression in the Europa League against St Etienne in midweek, Valencia believes that a cup win could give Mourinho’s men an added boost for the rest of the campaign.
He continued: “Winning the cup could give us even more impetus, as we’re already pretty high on confidence.
“There are around 15 games left in the Premier League and anything can still happen.”