David de Gea has called the Europa League "a special competition", with the Spaniard bidding to help Manchester United lift the trophy this season.
The 31-year-old has won the Europa League on two previous occasions, firstly at Atletico Madrid in 2010, while Man United triumphed in the competition in 2017 before reaching another final four years later.
De Gea started against Real Sociedad in his side's 2022-23 opener last week, which the Basque outfit won 1-0 courtesy of a second-half penalty from Brais Mendez.
The Spain international is again expected to be between the sticks for Thursday's contest with Sheriff Tiraspol, and the stopper has revealed his affection for the European competition.
"I think it is a great competition. We will go with everything [to win]," De Gea told reporters on Wednesday. "I have very good memories, to be honest, of this competition and, tomorrow, we have another big game against Sheriff.
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"We lost the first one [against Real Sociedad], so we have to try to win the game tomorrow against a difficult team. But, for sure, it's a special competition."
De Gea also paid tribute to the local fans who gave the team a warm welcome when they landed in Moldova on Wednesday afternoon.
"It feels great, to be honest. It's always nice. The people are very nice people, so we are happy to be here and, hopefully, we can show a great match tomorrow and let the people enjoy [the action]. We are grateful to be here," he added.
Man United boss Erik ten Hag also spoke during the press conference and insisted that his side would not take Sheriff lightly considering the standard of the teams that the hosts have beaten of late.
"It's quite clear. They beat Real Madrid, they beat Shakhtar Donetsk last year, so they are capable of doing it and we have to make it our game. We are conscious of that fact so we have to be ready and prepared for that game because it is serious and it is a decent opponent and we have to play our best to get the win," he said.
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"Pressure is for every game. For us it is the same because we have to win every game. It's clear, when you lose the first game you have to win the second, so we know what our task is."
Man United will not be back in Premier League action until the start of October, with their league game for this weekend, scheduled to take place against Leeds United, postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
As a result, Ten Hag could play a stronger side than originally planned, but the Dutchman was coy when asked about his plans in terms of his starting XI for this match.
"We always play a strong team so also tomorrow we will play a strong team," he added.
Man United have not been in action since the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad last week, as their Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Sunday was also called off.
Matt Law
