RREAL TENSE
It’s penalty pain as De Gea misses his kick in cruel drama
DAVID DE GEA was the penalty villain as Manchester United were sunk by the Yellow Submarine of Villarreal last night.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side suffered Europa League final heartache after a remarkable penalty shootout in Gdansk.
Villarreal won 11-10 on penalties with De Gea the only player to miss in the stunning shootout.
All 10 outfield players of both sides scored from the spot. Villarreal keeper Geronimo Rulli then stepped up and smashed into the top corner.
Rulli then returned to goal and denied De Gea.
United’s four-year wait for a trophy goes on as Villarreal won the competition for the first time.
Gerard Moreno put Villarreal ahead before Edinson Cavani levelled to force extra time.
PERHAPS the Glazers just don’t care too much about European club football’s second-string competition?
Or perhaps the Manchester United owners couldn’t stomach the abuse their own supporters would have hurled at them inside Gdansk’s Stadion Energa?
Whatever the truth, there was no sign of the American billionaires at last night’s Europa League final.
Joel Glazer hasn’t attended a United game for more than two years. So why break with tradition for one of the showpiece matches of the season, eh?
United insisted the Glazers had remained in Florida due to the Covid-19 quarantine restrictions involved with travelling to Poland. Fair enough, even if most United fans would like to see those brothers grim held captive full stop.
But had executive co-chairman Glazer made the trip he would have seen first hand a stage not befitting the status of the club he owns.
United’s bid to mop up the ‘booby prize’ of European club football is all well and good.
But in Portugal tomorrow two of United’s biggest rivals go head-to-head for the ultimate one when Manchester City and Chelsea meet in the Champions League final.
This is where United need to be – but getting there won’t be possible with the squad Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has at his disposal.
Which brings us back to the Glazers. Joel Glazer was full of apologies this month in the wake of the fan protests at Old Trafford, insisting his family “cared deeply” about the club.
Words can be meaningless sometimes. The proof is in the pudding and the best apology Glazer can provide the fans is to give Solskjaer the signings he needs this summer to stand a chance of challenging for the trophies United used to win when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge.
With respect to the likes of Fred, Nemanja Matic, Victor Lindelof and Scott Mctominay, this lot are not good enough to make United kings of Europe again.
They tried this season and United couldn’t even get out of the group stages, while Edinson Cavani might have scored a precious equaliser against Unai Emery’s men, but he is not the future. He’s 34.
How many United stars would get into Pep Guardiola’s starting XI across town? Bruno
Fernandes and Marcus Rashford perhaps. Paul Pogba at a push, although not on the evidence of last night.
Injured United captain Harry Maguire cut a disconsolate figure on the sidelines. He wanted to be out there, helping his team-mates try to win their first silverware since 2017.
But deep down he didn’t want to be out there, because he wants to be competing in the Champions League final.
So Glazer must put his hands in those same pockets that have seen him and his siblings trouser around £200m in share dividends in recent times.
Lavish whatever is needed to lure Raphael Varane, Federico Valverde and Erling Haaland to Old Trafford. Sign Declan Rice and Jadon Sancho as well, if that’s what it takes one of the biggest clubs in the world to start performing like one again.