WE PLAYED FOR MANCHESTER... WE PLAYED FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DIED
PAUL POGBA led the tributes as Manchester United’s players dedicated their Europa League triumph to the victims of the bomb attack in their city after beating Ajax in Stockholm last night. United lifted the only European trophy the club had never won and clinched qualification to next season’s Champions League with a 2-0 win at the Friends Arena. The victory came 48 hours after a suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured dozens more at the Manchester Arena. Paul Pogba, who scored United’s first goal with a deflected effort in the 18th minute, said: ‘We played for England, we played for Manchester, and we played for the people who died. ‘We know that things like this are very sad, all over the world: in Manchester, in London and in Paris, too. We had to focus because it was a very important game and we won for them and for the country. ‘We knew we were going to play in the Europa League and the goal was to win the Europa League. We did it, so we’re very proud. Some say we had a bad season but the prize is here and we’ll enjoy it now.’ Ander Herrera said that United’s players
PIERRE van Hooijdonk believes Brendan Rodgers can lead Celtic back to a Europa League final. Rodgers has set his sights on becoming a fixture in the knockout stages of the Champions League after the Scottish champions raked in £30million from this season’s group stage.
Citing the financial constraints which make it highly unlikely Celtic will ever conquer Europe’s summit again, however, the former Parkhead striker believes Europa League glory is a realistic goal.
A UEFA Cup winner with Feyenoord in 2002, the former Celtic striker said: ‘If I was a club director, I’d want the Champions League. As a player, the Europa.
‘I’d want to be part of something I feel I could win.
‘Celtic won’t win the Champions League. You can dream about it — but even 18 years is not enough to make that happen.
‘At Feyenoord we won the Europa League after being knocked out of the Champions League. That is the best scenario. You get the money and stay in Europe. Everyone is happy.
‘As a player, you want to leave a legacy at a club.
‘If Celtic reach the Champions League quarter-final, that would be fantastic. But do you think there would be big posters of them up in the city centre? No way.
‘However, if they finish third in the group and win the Europa League, there would be banners everywhere.
‘I do think this Celtic could get to the Europa League final next season. I have been very impressed with what I have seen this year. There is a big change from last season.’
Agent of out-of-favour Turkish striker Nadir Ciftci, Van Hooijdonk’s client will return to Glasgow this summer following a loan spell in Poland.
Ciftci is certain to leave the club sooner rather than later.
Admitting the former Dundee United man has no beef with Rodgers, however, Van Hooijdonk said the former Liverpool boss has transformed his old club.
‘It’s a difficult situation for Nadir as it doesn’t look like he’s going to play. I don’t know what will happen over the summer,’ he said. ‘We will speak to Celtic but Nadir has no issue with Brendan at all.
‘Nadir had a good pre-season with Celtic last year and I remember him phoning me after the first day last year. He said: “Pierre, you have no idea how different it is under the new manager”.
‘Under Ronny Deila there wasn’t a lot of excitement for the Celtic fans. I would watch games on TV and see all these green seats. I never knew they existed before because they were always filled by supporters.
‘When Brendan came in, everything changed at Celtic.
‘The difference he has made to the team and individual players has been incredible. He has done a fantastic job.
‘Celtic are exciting to watch. They play with pace, strength and always look to attack. That’s down to Brendan.
‘Now we have these laptop coaches on the one hand against the former players on the other. I’m not going to say that one of those approaches is the best because sometimes neither one works.
‘But Ronny Deila was more focused on the statistics than Brendan. That is the easiest example I can think of.
‘Brendan obviously does a lot of good work on the training pitch. When you see the progress at Celtic in the last 12 months, it’s clear he is a top-quality coach.
‘His recruitment has also been excellent. Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair have lifted the team and really made an impact.’
When Van Hooijdonk watches the current Celtic team, indeed, they remind him of the team he played in himself. One of the infamous ‘Three Amigos’ alongside Paolo di Canio and Jorge Cadete, the Dutchman admitted: ‘This side and the way Brendan is bringing in players — and it seems the players play straight away — reminds me a lot of the Tommy Burns team.
‘The signings of Tommy worked. McNamara, John Hughes, Di Canio, Andy Thom — they were all good straight away.
‘The way we played was quite entertaining — luckily I didn’t watch too many times because I was playing.
‘This team is very exciting to watch.’
The wider spectacle of Scottish football and a dearth of competition for Celtic at the top of the league is of greater concern to the Dutchman.
A Feyenoord icon, Van Hooijdonk watched his former club clinch their first Eredivisie title since 1999 last weekend with a dramatic last day finish. Like Rangers, the Rotterdam club were forced to overcome crippling financial mismanagement before staging a recovery.
Unclear if a first title in 18 years marks a message of hope for the Ibrox club or a harbinger of doom for the next 12 years, Van Hooijdonk added: ‘It gives Rangers hope if they are okay with not winning the league for 18 years...
‘I can’t see that. I think 18 years for Feyenoord — for clubs of that size — is quite unusual.
‘Leicester City became champions of England and they didn’t have the biggest budget. If you don’t have lots of money and your rival does, you have to be creative. ‘You have to spend it well. ‘Before they probably signed ten players and if four did well that was okay. But now if they sign four players all four players need to do well.
‘It’s about your structure in the club.’ As a registered agent, Van Hooijdonk believes the current malaise at Ibrox won’t prevent players from joining the club: ‘To players it’s a possibility to get into the spotlight, because the name Rangers will always attract them. ‘But there will be players with a certain stature.
‘And the ones they signed in my day? I don’t think they would be coming now.’