EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL
Cruyff: Ajax Jekyll and Hyde form can give Reds edge
PHIL JONES has stressed Manchester United have “no God-given right” to win tomorrow’s Europa League Final against Ajax and must approach the game in the correct manner.
United are widely regarded as the favourites to emerge from the contest at Stockholm’s Friends Arena with the trophy and the Champions League place that comes with it.
But Red Devils defender Jones has sounded a warning against complacency ahead of the “huge” match.
The 25-year-old said: “We’ve got a huge game on Wednesday that we need to prepare right for. We need to go out and do a job.
“We know Champions League football is the end goal, but we need to earn the right to be in the Champions League by winning on Wednesday night.
“We’ve no God-given right to win the Europa League.
“We deserve to be in the final, but we have to show up and prove we are good enough, and that’s what we will do.
“I can understand the lads’ tiredness, we’ve had a lot of games. But we need to give it one more big push on Wednesday night.”
At the end of a season in which Jose Mourinho’s United have won the EFL Cup and come sixth in the Premier League, tomorrow’s match is being billed as make-or-break for their 2016-17.
Asked if it was the case that victory against Ajax would mean it had been a successful season for United and defeat would mean it had not, Jones said: “In a nutshell, probably.
“It’s a defining moment in our season and we need to make sure we win the game. We want Champions League football.” JORDI CRUYFF knows better than most the threat Ajax poses to Manchester United side in the Europa League Final.
The teams go head to head at Stockholm’s Friends Arena tomorrow, with Ajax’s talented youngsters looking to stun United’s highly-paid stars and land a first continental trophy in 22 years.
Jones is ready to play a part in the game after Sunday’s 2-0 league victory over Crystal Palace marked his fourth appearance since returning to action following a foot injury.
IT APPEARED there might be some tension between Mourinho and Jones when the manager last month publicly urged the player er to “be brave” and take a riskk in terms of his recovery and making himself available for selection. lection.
But Jones seemsems to have no problem with Mourinho, saying: “He’s a greateat manager to work for. This seasoneason I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it under him.
“Even when I was out of the team at the start t he always gave me confidence I would get in if I was training aining and playing well. ll.
“He always ys made me feel l wanted and I owe him a lot for that.”
Cruyff joined the Dutch club aged seven, although never played for the first team as he moved to Spain in 1988 when his late father Johan was appointed Barcelona coach.
The 43-year-old knows what it is like to line up for United, though, having signed for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side from Barca in 1996.
“United is the club with With an eye on Wednesday’s fixture, Mourinho rested numerous players on Sunday as United completed their domestic season with what was essentially a dead rubber against Palace. The Portuguese named the youngest United team in Premier League history, with four players being handed full de debuts in Joel Pereira, Demetri Mitchell, Scott McTominay and Josh Harrop. Each of the young quartet fared well, with Harrop, 21, making a particularly strong im- the bigger budget, with bigger signings, probably a bit more pressure but more experienced players,” said Cruyff.
“You always think in finals it gives an edge, but Ajax is difficult because they can have two sides.
“They can have the invincible, unstoppable side that beat Schalke at home and Lyon 4-1, or it can have the other side in pression by firing home a superb 15th-minute strike that was added to four minutes later by a Paul Pogba finish.
The closing stages of the contest then saw 16-year-old Angel Gomes come on to become the first player born this millennium to play in the top flight, and th the youngest player to represent U United in the Premier League.
Jones, who played the full du duration of the game, felt the yo youngsters did a “terrific job”, an and added of Mourinho: “It’s to totally unfair when people say he doesn’t bring youth through.
“He did it at Chelsea with the li likes of Kurt Zouma, so it ba baffles me that one. He’s done it ag against Palace – make no mista take, it’s still a Premier League ga game, he has to show trust in th those players.
“If he didn’t think they were go good enough they wouldn’t be pl playing. He’s shown great belief in them and they’ve proved h him right.” which their players are a bit nervous and they have their away form. You just never know.”
Ajax and United will be battling for not only the Europa League trophy but the Champions League berth that comes with it.
Cruyff looks back on his time at Old Trafford with pride, but admits he made mistakes.
“I was probably a bit immature at that time,” said the former Holland midfielder, whose career has also taken him to Ukraine, Malta and Cyprus.
“The physical side of the Premier League was hard to cope with and I was a bit stubborn also.
“But I was proud to have been there, especially in a good period, with great team-mates and a great manager.” Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid, scoring 14 goals in the last nine games to help his side finish top of La Liga and reach the Champions League Final.
He said “It has been a spectacular end to the season, the best in recent years, because of intelligent management, the help of the coach, and the contributions of those who played less,
“I’ve prepared for the final part of the season because I knew it was going to be important.”
Looking ahead to the June 3 showdown with Juve in Cardiff, where Madrid will look to be crowned European champions for the third time in four years, Ronaldo said: “We know it’s going to be very difficult but for now we need to enjoy to enjoy our first title in five years.”