Alejandro Garnacho has sent a classy message to Lyon and Athletic Club ahead of Manchester United’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
Manchester United are gearing up for the Europa League final, where they’ll take on Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao on Wednesday evening.
While Ruben Amorim’s side have endured a difficult spell in the Premier League—going winless in their last eight matches—their performances in Europe have told a different story.
After securing third place in the league phase, United cruised past Real Sociedad with a 5-2 aggregate win in the round of 16, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat-trick in the second leg.
The quarter-finals were incredible – a 2-2 draw in Lyon set the stage for a rollercoaster night at Old Trafford, where United raced into a 2-0 lead, only to fall behind 4-2. In a stunning turnaround, they scored three times in just seven minutes through Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Harry Maguire to snatch victory.
In the semi-finals, United made light work of Athletic Club, earning a commanding 3-0 win in Spain followed by a 4-1 triumph at home. Now, only Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs stand between them and Europa League glory.
Garnacho sends classy message to Lyon and Athletic Club
Ahead of the final, there has been a lot of media work for United’s head coach and players, including some interviews for the club’s own media channel MUTV.
Various players such as Ayden Heaven, Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho were asked several quick-fire questions about the Europa League campaign, with many answers coming back to that dramatic Lyon clash at Old Trafford.
Almost every player responded with Maguire’s winner when asked for their favourite moment and goal, while most of them also named that game as the best atmosphere they’ve experienced in the tournament so far.
But when Garnacho was asked about the best atmosphere, he decided to highlight the away fixtures against Lyon and Athletic Club and provide classy compliments to their support.
“I think the games we played away, the atmosphere and stadiums were really nice. At Lyon, the fan were really crazy and also the Bilbao game, so yeah, I think they are good teams with good fans to be honest,” the Argentine winger said.
While some may raise their eyebrows at that answer, European away nights can be very memorable and many English fans admire the way in which a lot of foreign clubs support their own teams. You also always get brilliant support from United’s away following.
Will Garnacho start in Europa League final?
Garnacho seemed like a must-start for Amorim heading towards this final but he has started on the bench in the last two United games.
With Mason Mount back fit, he has been playing in that no.10 position and it feels like the Englishman may be given the start in Bilbao ahead of Garnacho.
But it feels like that is partly because of the potential impact the Argentine can make when coming off the bench, with his pace a real threat against a tired Spurs backline.
Whether that happens, or if he starts the game, Garnacho is undoubtably going to get chances in this game. The uncertainty is whether he will be able to take them – every fan will be hoping he can.
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