Europa United’s best bet
MANCHESTER: The Red Devils should focus on winning the Europa League this season, which would bring the club a trophy they have never won and secure qualification for next season’s Champions League, former manager Alex Ferguson has said.
Manchester United are fifth in the Premier League and sit four points behind fourthplaced Liverpool, though they have two games in hand on the Merseyside club.
A top-four finish would ensure Champions League qualification but Ferguson, who was in charge at Old Trafford for some 27 years, believes United have a great opportunity to qualify by winning Europe’s second-tier club competition.
“The thing is, we’ve never won the Europa League,” he told ESPN this week.
“We’ve never won the Uefa Cup, what it used to be. And we’ve got a great draw. I’m not saying it’s a certainty, but they’ve got a great chance.
“It’s still a European trophy. And if you win it, you get into the Champions League. The incentive is greater to do that.”
English clubs have failed to win any European title since Chelsea’s Europa Cup victory against Benfica in 2013.
Ferguson, who won two Champions League trophies and a Cup Winners’ Cup at United, said success on the European front is cyclical.
“In the 1970s, Ajax and Bayern Munich; ‘80s, Liverpool; ‘90s Italy, AC Milan. And then England had a great spell,” the 75-year-old Scot added. “At the moment, the cycle is with the Spanish teams. And they’re best, that’s why they’re winning it,” he said, referring to the domination of the tournament by Real Madrid and arch-rivals Barcelona in recent years.
United visit Belgian outfit Anderlecht in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal on April 13 before hosting the return a week later.
They face West Brom next weekend on Saturday when the Premier League resumes after the international break. – Reuters challenging conversations and difficult decisions on my part but that is why we are in elite sport.”
The former Middlesbrough boss has praised Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.
“I thought Marcus was excellent in the game against Chelsea (a 1-0 FA Cup loss) last week. He makes powerful runs in behind defenders.” – Reuters