Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny admits facing Manchester United in the group stage of the Europa League would have been embarrassing for the club.
The Premier Division champions will face Zenit St Petersburg, AZ Alkmaar and Maccabi Tel Aviv in their group matches for the finals of their maiden European competition.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Kenny said that it would not have been right for an English club to garner more support than an Irish team on home turf.
"These are great footballing ties against great football clubs," he said. "I know people were wondering about drawing Manchester United but that’s not a game I would have particularly wanted personally.
"I think I would have been embarrassed playing in Lansdowne Road with more people there supporting an English team than ourselves.
“I would have found that difficult to comprehend. I understand the teams we’ve drawn don’t have the lure of an Inter Milan or a Manchester United but I hope people who love the game will get behind us.
"I know that the recent matches against BATE Borisov and Legia Warsaw have really captured the imagination of people right throughout the country."
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