The Spain international won the competition with Chelsea in 2013 and has urged his side to land the trophy and with it a place in next season's Champions League
Juan Mata says Manchester United can still end their season in a positive fashion by claiming glory in the Europa League.
The Red Devils suffered their seventh Premier League defeat of the season on Saturday to Sunderland, leaving them six points behind Manchester City in fifth place.
Louis van Gaal has admitted his side's best hopes of securing Champions League football may now lie with winning the Europa League and Mata has urged his side to move on from Saturday's defeat.
"The only way to get to a better position is by working hard for the next game," he wrote in his blog.
"There is no other way. Mourning is useless now; besides, there are still many games to play and many things can happen this season.
"I understand and share your [the fans'] frustration, but once again the way to overcome the defeats and the complicated moments is, in my opinion, by standing united, working hard and never giving up.
"I understand this is not the best possible situation [being in the Europa League and not the Champions League], but it is what it is, and our goal is to keep advancing so we can have the chance to lift this trophy, which would come with a double reward.
"My personal experience tells me that if we work for it with excitement it could be a positive way to finish the season, as I lived three seasons ago [at>
- Goal