Paul Scholes has admitted that he got one prediction completely wrong as Manchester United slap Athletic Club 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday evening.
Manchester United have one foot in the Europa League final after a commanding 3-0 win over Athletic Club in Bilbao, with Rúben Amorim’s side delivering a ruthless display in the first leg of their semi-final tie.
The match sparked into life early, with Alejandro Garnacho finding the net inside five minutes, though his effort was ruled out for offside. United didn’t have to wait long to make their mark, as Casemiro opened the scoring following excellent work from Harry Maguire down the right.
The game quickly tilted further in United’s favour when Rasmus Højlund was brought down in the box by Dani Vivian, who was shown a red card. Bruno Fernandes stepped up to calmly convert the penalty and soon added a second just before the break with a clinical finish.
With a three-goal cushion and a man advantage, United professionally managed the second half despite pressure from the hosts, leaving Bilbao with a result that puts them firmly in control ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford.
Scholes admits he got his prediction wrong
Paul Scholes spoke about United’s team selection at half-time on TNT Sports, admitting that, despite initially thinking it was a negative selection before the game, he has changed his views and felt United managed the game well, with the defensive player providing more of an attacking threat than he anticipated.
“Yeah, I think I said before the game that it was quite a negative team they picked as well. Harry Maguire looking sharp on the wing, yeah, great play, into Ugarte, one of the older midfield players, onto another older midfield player in Casemiro, and they’ve gone 1-0 up.”
“Athletic had a couple of chances, I suppose, but the one header really was the one big chance for them to be able to manage to take it, and United have capitalised on that.”
Scholes will not be alone in admitting he was wrong regarding the selection, but of course, the red card plays into it hugely. The game changed significantly when Athletic Club went down to ten men, and as the former midfielder says, the Reds have capitalised on the situation very well ever since.
Ugarte and Lindelof important
It feels like a United performance of old in Europe. Bruno Fernandes has been next level during the game, and he continues to be United’s most important player on the pitch week in and week out.
Read More: Player Ratings: Athletic Club vs Manchester United (Europa League)
Manuel Ugarte has got two assists from out of nothing, and Casemiro has been a man possessed out on the pitch.
Victor Lindelof’s inclusion was questioned, but he’s the main reason United did not go one down early on with a remarkable block on the line. Amorim obviously felt they deserved to be included, and they have proved to be important during the game.
Things can change in the second half, but Ruben Amorim’s era could well and truly be getting started. The second half will tell a huge story about whether United have the mentality to go on and win this tournament.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.