Jermaine Jenas has described the feeling of disappointment he and his team-mates felt when they missed out on a Champions League place last season while also expressing his optimism regarding the current campaign.

Jenas said: “We’ve got a great squad here and we have brought some top players in. With the UEFA Cup this season we are going to need everybody.

“For the players that were here and in that changing room after the West Ham game, it was not a nice feeling.

“The manager tried to pick us up and make us aware of what we had achieved throughout the season but, as players, it was hard to accept.”