There was a lot more on the line for Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United on Wednesday night in Bilbao than the Europa League trophy.
A victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Basque Country would have secured a return to the Champions League stage.
It would also have done Manchester United’s already fraught finances a world of good, while making Old Trafford a far more tempting destination for some of the Red Devils’ priority targets this summer.
Take Viktor Gyokeres, for instance.
As football correspondent Graeme Bailey exclusively told United in Focus, Champions League football was integral to luring Gyokeres to Manchester.
The £55 million-rated Sporting striker is on Arsenal’s wishlist, too, of course. And while Man United look set to beat Mikel Arteta to Matheus Cunha’s signature, the chance of a repeat with Sporting’s 53-goal sensation now looks much slimmer now than they did before Brennan Johnson bundled the ball into Andre Onana’s net.
Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap, meanwhile, may now opt for Chelsea over United with the £30 million Englishman keen on playing European football next term.
Man United didn’t just lose the final, then, they also lost a seat at Europe’s top table and potentially their two leading striker targets as well.
Photo by Diogo Cardoso/Getty ImagesRio Ferdinand worried about Manchester United’s transfer plans after Europa League loss
Rio Ferdinand, the 2008 Champions League-winning centre-half, summed it up pretty well after the final whistle brought a crushing end to Ruben Amorim’s hopes of a crack-papering piece of silverware.
“It’s been a disaster of a season which has ended on a bad note,” Ferdinand sighs, speaking to TNT Sports. “But I don’t think they did enough to deserve it. I thought both teams looked scared to lose it.
“You can’t expect to win a trophy when you are playing a little bit reserved and conservative, you have to be brave in these moments. It’s going to be a long, long summer.
“That recruitment list they had will have to be scrapped now because they are not going to have Champions League football. It is a completely different list to recruit from.”
Viktor Gyokeres could have replaced Rasmus Hojlund at Man United
Rasmus Hojlund may have sealed his fate with an anonymous display at the San Mames, even if he did come closer than anyone else in a Manchester United shirt while forcing a stunning goalline clearance from Micky van de Ven.
Ironically, had Hojlund managed to guide that looping header over the line, the under-fire Dane may have actually paved the way for Gyokeres to come in and take his place.
Now, Ferdinand fears, Man United may have to lower their sights and pursue a lower class of number nine as the extent of the Ineos rebuild becomes painfully clear.
“When you win a trophy, what that does for your confidence is indescribable,” Ferdinand adds, a regular title winner in happier times at Old Trafford. “The way it lifts you, you bounce into the summer and into pre-season.
“Players are looking to come in there because you’re in the Champions League. Now, [Man United will have to look at] a new list. The players who would come, they want to play Champions League football.”