West Ham United manager David Moyes has issued a warning to Manchester United in the race for European qualification for next season, insisting the league remains the Hammers' priority.
Moyes made the admission after watching his side get the better of Sevilla to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday evening at the London Stadium. Trailing 1-0 from the first-leg in Spain last week, the Hammers turned the tie around to win 2-0 on the night and progress as 2-1 winners on aggregate.
It means they are now just two rounds away from reaching the final of the competition. Should the Hammers go all the way and win the competition it means that they would automatically qualify for next season's Champions League.
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However, as hard as that challenge will prove to be, Moyes has confirmed that the Premier League remains his top priority. The Hammers are currently sixth in the table, one place and two points behind United.
Moyes said: "The Premier League has always been the priority because where you finish in the league gets you the chance to qualify for Europe if you do well. It is your bread and butter as far as I am concerned.
"But I think being in cup competitions as well adds to what you are trying to do at your football club; we are trying to become better, trying to grow the club and are trying to make strides forward."
With United now not in action until April 2 when they face Leicester City, the Hammers could move above them if they beat Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. The race for the final Champions League berth is threatening to go right down to the wire with just five points, at the time of writing, separating Arsenal in fourth and Wolves in eighth.
United crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday evening, losing to Atletico Madrid, meaning they must secure fourth-place to be in the competition next season. United, although it would be deemed a failure, will qualify for the Europa League group stages if they finish fifth.
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