We have seen consistent good performances from Manchester united in the last few matches of the Europa league. Despite not doing well in the Premier league , Manchester united have played quite well on the Europa league platform. However , the problem has been that Manchester United's opponents have been relatively weak. I am waiting to see if United's players can play well against strong teams. If United can dominate and win against Real sociedad, I would say that Manchester United are worthy contenders for the Europa league title this year.
The closer to the final, the stronger the team they will face, that is a certainty, because other teams will try harder to win the title in the European League. Yes, Manchester United's performance in the European League is not as bad as their performance in the English League, but as you said, the opponents they faced in the first phase were relatively weak so it was more profitable for them to be able to get points. It will certainly be something different when we enter the knockout stages, they must be ready for stronger opponents.
The last 16 rounds of the Europa League could be difficult for Manchester United, who are in a very bad position in the Premier League. If Manchester United are eliminated in the last 16 rounds, it will show that the management will need to be much more careful with their transfers in the summer. Because Manchester United is one of the most valuable teams in the Europa League in terms of squad quality and value. In my opinion, they are one of the favorites of this league along with Tottenham, Lazio, and Athletic Bilbao. They should at least see the semi-finals, in my opinion.