Europa League draw: United meets Van Persie, Southampton gets Inter

Manchester United was handed one of the most compelling groups during Friday's Europa League draw, booking a meeting with former striker Robin van Persie's Fenerbahce, while Southampton earned a tough pairing with Italian giant Inter.

A total of 48 teams - including the 10 losers of the Champions League playoffs - learned their fate in Monaco. It's the start of a long slog in Europe's second-tier competition, with the eventual winner having to play 15 games over several months from this point on.

United will also face 2002 UEFA Cup champion Feyenoord - a team which featured a young Van Persie - and Ukrainian outfit Zorya in Group A.

Southampton has an equally tough task ahead of it. Awaiting the Saints are Inter - currently in a rebuilding phase under Frank de Boer - Sparta Prague, and Hapoel Be'er Sheva.

After capitulating to Porto in the Champions League play-offs, Roma should have expectations of winning a group with Czech side Viktoria Plzen, Austria Wien, and West Ham-toppler Astra.

Here's a look at how the 12 quartets stack up:

Group A: Manchester United, Fenerbahce, Feyenoord, Zorya

Group B: Olympiacos, APOEL, Young Boys, Astana

Group C: Anderlecht, Saint-Etienne, Mainz, Qabala

Group D: Zenit St. Petersburg, AZ Alkmaar, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Dundalk

Group E: Viktoria Plzen, Roma, Austria Wien, Astra

Group F: Athletic Bilbao, Genk, Rapid Wien, Sassuolo

Group G: Ajax, Standard Liege, Celta, Panathinaikos

Group H: Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga, Gent, Konyaspor

Group I: Schalke, Salzburg, Krasnodar, Nice

Group J: Fiorentina, PAOK, Liberec, Qarabag

Group K: Inter, Sparta Prague, Southampton, Hapoel Be'er Sheva

Group L: Villarreal, Steaua Bucharest, Zurich, Osmanlispor