Del Nido quiet on Manzano future

Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido warned his team to be fully focused on qualifying for Europe and not the future of coach Gregorio Manzano.

Manzano’s side sit seventh in the table, equal on points with sixth-placed Atletico Madrid and just two points back from fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao – needing to crack the top six to earn a place in the Europa League next season.

Del Nido refused to speculate on the future of head coach Manzano next season, but rather emphasised the importance of the final three games of the season, starting with an away trip to Pamplona to face Osasuna on Wednesday.

“The only thing on my mind is going to Pamplona and getting a win,” del Nido said. ”

“We have three important games remaining in order for us to finish fifth or sixth in La Liga, and any result that isn’t qualifying for Europe is a disaster for us.”

“There have been few bigger embarrassments by Sevilla as big as the 2-5 and the 2-6 defeat (to Real Madrid) on Saturday. The players are indebted to the fans, and have to show what they are like and regain the applause that they have lost.”

“We will not talk about next season yet, or whether Manzano will continue with us or not. Nor who will be in the squad. We keep working for the future, but for now we are focusing on Pamplona, the game against Real Sociedad and then the visit to Cornella Stadium (Espanyol).”