Manchester United are desperate to end their season with silverware as they gear up for a crucial Europa League final against Tottenham, with both teams coming into the clash in poor form
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand fears the team could struggle physically against Tottenham in the Europa League final, admitting that Ruben Amorim’s men “can’t keep up with any team in the Premier League”. The Red Devils have flown out to Bilbao hoping to finish their awful season with silverware, with Spurs standing in their way.
United will be favourites against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham due to their far superior record in finals and winning trophies, but both teams have struggled in the Premier League this season, with the teams sitting 16th and 17th in the table respectively.
Spurs might have an upper hand going into the game after beating United three times in the league and cup this season, though everything will go up in the air during a massive European final.
And Ferdinand worries that his old team lack the pace and physicality of their Premier League rivals, arguing that they have performed well in Europe this season because they are yet to come up against an English team.
“The worrying thing for me from a Man United perspective is that physically we can’t keep up with any team in the Premier League,’ he said, speaking to talkSPORT.
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“If they go man-to-man and go toe-to-toe with us we’re at a disadvantage because our profile of our players at Man United are not players that can run as hard and as fast, and as long, and they’re not as powerful as other teams. That’s a big thing in the Premier League. In the Europa, we’re overpowering every team.
“There’s only one team I’ve watched us play against in the Europa League that we struggled against and thought ‘Ooh, that was a bit too close for comfort’. Rangers, who are more akin to a Premier League side, physically. So that’s the concern for me in the final playing against a Premier League team, who have beaten us three times, that physically can, minimum, match us.”
Ferdinand has a rich history of winning trophies for Manchester United, having lifted six Premier League titles, two League Cups and the Champions League in 2007-08. He played 455 times for the club and will go down as one of their greatest defenders ever.
But with United a much different side in present day under Amorim, Ferdinand insisted he wouldn’t be surprised if Spurs beat them in Bilbao, though he said he simply ‘couldn’t call” the result.
“I have to be honest, I can’t call a Man United result,’ he told Optus Sport. ‘They’re so inconsistent or they have consistently been bad in the Premier League. But the fact that they are playing against Spurs, another consistently bad team in the Premier League. But they have players who can win a match. It makes it such a hard game to call.
“I don’t think the fans can be too surprised (if Spurs win). They beat us three times already this season, so it’s not going to be a surprise if they beat us a fourth time. I think it’s only going to be stupid people that are going, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe this’.
“We’re 16th because we’ve lost a lot of games. 18 Premier League games we’ve lost this season. Anyone who’s surprised if we don’t win this game against Spurs is a lunatic in my eyes.”
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