“I don’t agree…” Ruud van Nistelrooy dismisses journalist’s question about two Manchester United stars

Ruud van Nistelrooy has dismissed a notion surrounding Manchester United’s chance creation as they prepare to face PAOK in the Europa League.

Manchester United are set to chase their first Europa League win of the 2024/25 campaign as Ruud van Nistelrooy prepares his squad to face Greek outfit PAOK on Thursday night.

So far, United’s journey in this year’s competition has seen them draw 1-1 with FC Twente, battle to a 3-3 tie with FC Porto, and end 1-1 against Fenerbahce. They sit in 21st place, four points shy of the top eight teams earning automatic spots in the knockout phase.

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While they’ve managed to net five goals across their three games, defensive weaknesses have plagued them, causing one- and two-goal leads to vanish and prompting critical questions about the team’s structure and resilience.

Still, United’s first three games were arguably their toughest in the competition. With five more games to go, the team has a solid chance to regroup and make a serious push for qualification if they can shore up their defense and maintain composure.

Ruud dismisses claim

Aside from the Carabao Cup triumphs, United’s goalscoring record this season has been poor—nine in ten games in the Premier League and five in three games in the Europa League.

On Wednesday afternoon, Van Nistelrooy was asked if he feels his team are not creating enough chances for Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee to score, leading to criticism for both players.

However, he hit back at this, denying the notion from the journalist.

“I don’t agree we didn’t create enough chances [for them],” he explained. “I think, if you look at the stats, we are one of the teams creating the most chances and it’s the conversion [that is letting us down].

“It’s why I said I’m not worried. We’re creating the chances and, with the talent we have, they are still young. Not only the two you mentioned [Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee] but [there are] others as well with lots of potential.

“If the results will keep coming, confidence will rise. That’s the key thing to scoring goals: confidence. I think the guys will do that and, hopefully, carry on in tomorrow’s game.”

United failed to score multiple chances against Chelsea on the weekend but did take their shots well against Leicester during mid-week, so Van Nistelrooy will be hoping his side have their shooting boots on during a must-win tie against PAOK.

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