Alan Shearer has explained he feels five Manchester United players would make a combined starting XI of those set to compete in the Europa League final.
Manchester United are set to battle Tottenham in the Europa League final on Wednesday night in Bilbao, with all eyes now firmly on European silverware.
It’s been a bleak spell in the Premier League for Rúben Amorim’s men—winless in their last eight—but their performances in Europe have been nothing short of outstanding.
After finishing third in the league phase, United dispatched Real Sociedad with a 5-2 aggregate win, thanks in large part to a second-leg hat-trick from Bruno Fernandes.
The quarter-final against Lyon was a whirlwind. A 2-2 draw in France was followed by a chaotic night at Old Trafford, where United surged to a 2-0 lead, collapsed to 4-2, then mounted a sensational comeback with goals from Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Harry Maguire in just seven minutes.
They then brushed past Athletic Club in the semis, winning 3-0 away and 4-1 at home to book their place in the final. Now, only Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs stand between them and the trophy.
Shearer picks combined United and Spurs XI
In the last week or so, there has been significant debate surrounding how many of Rúben Amorim’s first-team players would make it into Tottenham’s starting team after former United defender Gary Neville claimed only Fernandes would be good enough to do so.
However, former Premier League striker and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer, now a regular pundit for the BBC, has weighed in on the team, explaining that he feels there are five of Amorim’s men that would make the side.
Shearer explained that, although Guglielmo Vicario would get in goal over André Onana, Maguire would partner Micky Van de Ven as centre-backs, while Destiny Udogie would start as the left-back and Noussair Mazraoui on the right.
In midfield, Shearer has opted to select Casemiro at the base of the midfield three, with Mainoo and Fernandes ahead of him, selecting all three over any of Tottenham’s midfielders such as James Maddsion.
However, for the front three, Shearer has picked Ange Postecoglou’s men, listing Brennan Johnson, Dejan, Kulusevski, and Son Heung-min, leaving no space for either Amad or Alejandro Garnacho.
Shearer’s combined United and Tottenham XI: Vicario, Udogie, Maguire, Van de Ven, Mazraoui, Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Brennan Johnson, Kulusevski, Son.
Who wins the Europa League final?
Shearer went on to issue his prediction for the final, explaining that he feels it is a game that is “impossible” to call due to the inconsistent nature of both sides.
“This match is pretty impossible to predict when you look at how bad both teams have been,” Shearer claimed. “Spurs have done really well against Man United this season, so due to their record against them I’d say Spurs may be slight favourites.
“There are more negatives than positives for both teams when you look at them. I really haven’t got a clue what to expect or what teams will turn up. It’s a bit of a flip of a coin and it’ll be a disaster for whoever doesn’t win.
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“Given what’s at stake for both clubs, it could have an impact on the game. There’s so much relying on both teams, managers and both clubs’ short-term futures.
“There’s no exaggeration that both teams need an injection of five or six players to try and compete again and that’s why the stakes of this game are enormous.”
However, he eventually handed in his prediction for the tie. “Just because of their record over the last five or six games against them, and particularly this season, I’ll go for a Spurs win. It wouldn’t surprise me if the game goes all the way to penalties, but I’ll go for Spurs to win in normal time.”
Alan Shearer was speaking to BetFair.
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