‘Winning Europa League could be the start of something special!’
DARREN Fletcher and Rio Ferdinand are in agreement that winning the Europa League would give United a major lift ahead of next season.
And Fletcher believes the fact that their semi-final with Sevilla in Germany tomorrow night is a one-off game will play to the Reds’ strengths.
Fletcher also compared the current side to United’s League Cup-winning team of 2006 and said a trophy win could well galvanise them going forward.
He said: “There’s something exciting about it, it’s almost reminiscent of an international tournament on a smaller scale or a pre-season.
“They don’t have the pressure of qualifying for the Champions League now and can go out with this young team and win a trophy, which can kick-start something special.
“I remember me and Rio, we won the League Cup in 2006 and it felt like a new team.
“It felt like that trophy was a real kick-start and boost into a real run of success of winning leagues and getting to Champions League finals.
“The reason I remember it is because we’d just signed Patrice
Evra and Nemanja Vidic and I got left out for the final.
“Nemanja and Patrice were on the bench and came on and got medals.
“That was Sir Alex Ferguson seeing that as a chance to get these players to win trophies for United. Look at the success Vidic and Evra had after that so it’s clever management. It’s amazing what a trophy can do to kick-start and galvanise something.”
Ferdinand says whilst United won the Europa League recently under Jose Mourinho, another trophy win will help rebuild the culture of sustained success at Old Trafford.
He said: “This could be part of setting a new culture at the football club.
“I think the club’s been missing that for the past seven or eight years.
“It’s a sustained period of winning you’re looking for, it’s not that sporadic win a trophy here or there.
“It’s challenging for the league on a yearly basis and getting your foot in finals every year.
“If they can create that culture now and start it with the young players they’ve got coming in, the way that Ole’s trying to mould this team, we’ll be in for a good future.
“Again, we’ve got to execute.”