Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger offered his support to Jose Mourinho as the spotlight falls on his Manchester United counterpart following the Red Devils' elimination from the Champions League.

United were beaten 2-1 at home to Sevilla in Wednesday’s round-of-16 tie, with the tame manner of their exit leading to questions over Mourinho’s ability to succeed in the competition he won with Porto and Inter Milan in 2004 and 2010.

Mourinho’s pragmatic brand of football has not always proven to be indisputably popular with the Old Trafford faithful; but when it fails to bring results, debate over the manager’s future will inevitably grow.

Wenger revealed last week that his one-time rival Sir Alex Ferguson had reached out to offer his support during perhaps his darkest hours as Arsenal manager. Would he return the favour to the beleaguered United boss?

"I’m supportive to everyone who suffers," Wenger said. "[Journalists’] job is to get everybody to suffer, our job is to get as few people as possible to suffer. I want English football to do well.

"People at our level are the most demanding with themselves. The biggest suffering we get is from our own demands with ourselves. For the rest we get love or not love. You know how it is said: you’re loved when you born, you’re loved when you die. In between you have to manage.

"I want everybody to be happy in the world. Why do you want bombs everywhere? I do not want to speak about Man United’s situation. My job is to take care of Arsenal.

"Overall I want English football to do well. I want the manager to be happy. It’s not possible.

"We have to accept that when the performance on the day is not top spot we can suffer. We did that before.

"The difficulty in the modern game is no matter who is in the game we will always win, lose or draw. But that’s part of the game. Nobody accepts it anymore but it is like that. That’s what makes football interesting."

A 0-0 first leg draw in Seville had earned Mourinho some degree of praise and it was widely predicted that United would do the job in the second leg. However Wenger is convinced that it was the Spanish side who would have truly been celebrating last month’s goalless affair.

"You have seen in the game last night that 0-0 at home is a good result in Europe because of the weight of the away goal," he said.

"It puts the team who plays away in a nothing to lose position and the team who plays at home in an everything to lose position. If they concede a goal they know they’re nearly out. It’s very difficult."

Arsenal find themselves in a significantly better position going into the home leg of their own round of 16 tie, with one foot in the Europa League quarter-finals after a 2-0 win against AC Milan in the San Siro.

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However the Gunners have already proven themselves adept at frittering away a first leg advantage.

Leading 3-0 after their first meeting with Ostersund, they found themselves two goals down to the Swedish minnows at the Emirates after 23 minutes, with a Sead Kolasinac strike securing passage but not saving face in a 2-1 defeat.

Wenger is determined not to repeat the mistake, adding: "In your head first of all the name Ostersund doesn’t create nervousness in the team.

"Secondly the players think half that they are already through. We have seen that with Manchester City as well against Basel.

"Europe always gives you a psychological problem you have to master.

"We spoke about the 0-0, when you have won away from home you have to finish the job at home and it’s not easy.

"It always puts the team who plays against you in the position of nothing to lose and you have to face the fact that the best way to approach the game is to win the game."