The Sun

A MANCHESTER UNITED scout saw Cristiano Ronaldo Jr make his Portugal Under-15 debut as a raft of top clubs sent representatives to the match.

The 14-year-old son of the legendary former Red Devils No7 was cheered onto the pitch when he came off the bench in a 4-1 win over Japan’s Under-15s on Tuesday.

Wearing the same number his father wore with distinction during two spells at Old Trafford, Ronaldo Jr gave a few brief glimpses of his talent during a second-half run-out at the Vlatko Markovic tournament in Croatia.

Ruben Amorim’s staff will add the scout’s report to their file on the youngster, who could earn a start in one of Portugal’s remaining matches against Greece or England.

United will already know plenty from the 14 months Ronaldo Jr spent at their academy.

He played alongside Wayne Rooney's son, Kai, in the youth set-up when his father returned for an ill-fated second stint under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag.

The Europa League finalists were among several high-profile clubs to send scouts to the match.

United’s Bilbao opponents Tottenham were in attendance with up to 10 Bundesliga clubs also rumoured to be represented in the crowd.

Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti report that Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Hoffenheim, Red Bull Salzburg, Inter Milan, Juventus and Atalanta sent spies to cover the game.

The Portuguese players caught the eye with their superior technique and tactical appreciation, running out easy winners over the Japanese kids.

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Braga forward Rafael Cabral was the star of the match and stole Cristiano Jr’s thunder by bagging a hat-trick before he stepped out onto the pitch.

The 14-year-old honed his ball skills by playing futsal from an early age while his mobility allows him to operate just as effectively from the wings as he does from the middle.

He is Braga’s top scorer in the youth league with 13 goals this season and leads a seven-strong contingent from the club in Portugal’s squad, which contains no players from the traditional powers of Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

MANCHESTER UNITED and Tottenham will face off in the Europa League final next week in a battle for a place amongst Europe's elite.

The winner will earn a spot in next season's Champions League, a reward that is potentially worth in excess of £100MILLION.

Much has been made about whether that prize is suitable or not, given that United and Spurs currently occupy 16th and 17th spot in the Premier League - but Uefa aren't changing their rules for the two underachievers.

Qualification would mean a huge amount to both clubs, with the lure of the Champions League meaning more top talent could be enticed to join in the summer - not to mention a huge boost to their transfer kitty.

For Spurs, the money would be the cherry on top of the giant cake that is ending their 17-year wait for a trophy.

While United almost NEED to win the competition given their current financial situation, with a defeat meaning a huge loss in potential revenue amid a slew of cost-cutting measure by Sir Jim Racliffe and his Ineos team.

Once getting to the Champions League, advancing to the very end could earn up to a potential £95m extra for the eventual winner - but United and Spurs will be aware that their chances of going all the way are slim.

In fact, of the eight different teams that have gained qualification into the Champions League by winning the Europa League over the last 10 years, just ONE has made it to the semi-finals.

That was Villarreal, who were knocked out of the tournament by eventual winners Liverpool.

Man Utd entered the competition thanks to their 2017 Europa League success under Jose Mourinho, only to lose to Sevilla in the Round of 16.

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While Chelsea did the same in 2019 and were kicked out by Bayern Munich in the last 16 too.

United and Chelsea are two of six teams that reached the last 16 after qualifying through the Europa League.

While Sevilla have twice failed to advance through the group stages and Atalanta were knocked out of this year's competition in the qualifying knockout round.

Although it makes for bleak reading for Man Utd and Spurs fans, it's worth noting that the lure - and cash injection - of playing in the Champions League has helped teams who qualified through the Europa League attract big players.

It was United's entry to the 2017/18 competition that helped them sign Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof in the following summer.

Chelsea were unable to purchase players following their success as they were hit with a transfer ban following academy player rule breaches.

Either way, the prize waiting for the winner of next week's 'Hell Clasico' is something which cannot be underestimated and could have a huge impact on either club for years to come.

TOTTENHAM are set to take part in a tradition ahead of the Europa League final - but Manchester United will not.

The two English sides meet on May 21 at the San Mames Stadium, which is the home of Spanish side Athletic Bilbao.

Their stadium opened in 2013 after the old ground on an adjacent plot was demolished.

But a tradition has remained for 98 years to honour club icon Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, better known as Pichichi.

The legendary striker, who played for them in the early 1900s, suddenly passed away aged 29 from typhus.

To pay respect to Pichichi, every team who plays at the San Mames for the first time leaves a bunch of flowers in homage ahead of kick-off.

Hungarian side MTK Budapest were the first to make the gesture in 1927.

Spurs have never played Athletic Bilbao at their home, only facing them twice in friendlies at different locations.

Therefore, Tottenham are set to lay flowers by a bust in a special area by the players' tunnel to commemorate Pichichi.

Before the stadium was modernised, clubs would put their flowers by the statue of the legend outside the ground.

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Man Utd will not have to visit the florist ahead of the Europa League final as they have been to the San Mames before.

The Red Devils played at the old stadium in 1957 and 2012.

And they were at the new ground earlier this month as they knocked out Athletic Bilbao in this year's semi-final.

MANCHESTER UNITED will swap a bus-top parade for a barbecue if they beat Tottenham in the Europa League final.

The Red Devils already face being grilled after a dire season in the Premier League.

But they are still preparing to have a sizzling finale in one sense - by ditching lavish open-top bus celebrations in favour of a modest meal at their Carrington training ground, should they triumph on May 21.

Ruben Amorim's men are fifth bottom in the Prem, one place above Spurs, ahead of a Bilbao battle between the top-flight's two most under-achieving squads.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou might be more used to barbies - given he's from Down Under.

But United chiefs - or chefs - are reportedly planning a BBQ for one of the most low-key ways a footballing giant has ever marked winning silverware.

However, it's partly due to the club's incredibly hectic end to the month.

After next Wednesday's final, the Red Devils finish their Prem campaign at home to Aston Villa on Sunday week.

Then comes a gruelling 15-hour flight to Asia for money-spinning tour games in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong on May 28 and 30.

And if United do get the opportunity to rejoice in Europa League glory, the BBQ could be even less glamorous than it sounds - as major building work is taking place at Carrington.

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It's understood the event - for players, staff and their families - would be the day after the final.

So United will have to wait longer for another open-top bus parade - having not held one since 2013.

That special occasion heralded the Red Devils' 20th Prem title and the retirement of manager Sir Alex Ferguson after his golden reign of 27 years.

THE REFEREE taking charge of Manchester United's Europa League final showdown with Tottenham served a six-month ban for match fixing.

Felix Zwayer, 43, is the man in the middle of the all-English affair on May 21 as both sides eye season-saving silverware and Champions League qualification.

The German is one of Uefa’s top-ranked referees and took charge of England’s semi-final win over the Netherlands at last summer’s Euros.

And he took charge of Arsenal's Champions League semi-final second leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes last Wednesday.

Zwayer came under-fire from Arsenal fans after handing PSG a penalty for a controversial handball call against Myles Lewis-Skelly.

He now faces another major night in Bilbao as Man Utd look to go unbeaten in Europe, despite their embarrassing Premier League form.

But Zwayer, who has overseen more than 700 games and is highly rated by Uefa, has a tainted history.

In 2005, he was punished for accepting a bribe from fellow ref Robert Hoyzer.

Zwayer was a linesman at the time and took £250 to fix a second division match in Germany.

An investigation revealed that Hoyzer had been accepting money from a Croatian gambling syndicate connected to an organised crime group.

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Hoyzer was banned from football for life while also receiving a prison sentence of two years and five months.

As for Zwayer, he was suspended from football for six months before returning to eventually become a Bundesliga ref in 2009.

His bribery scandal has not gone unnoticed though, with Jude Bellingham calling him out after Borussia Dortmund drew with rivals Bayern Munich in 2021.

Bellingham was slapped with a £34,000 fine for blasting Zwayer's chequered past while complaining about a penalty incident.

The England star said: "You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?"

Zwayer last refereed Man Utd during their 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the Europa League in 2023.

The Red Devils are unbeaten in all four games that Zwayer has officiated, which have ended in two wins and two draws.

And the last time he called the shots in a Tottenham game was during their 4-2 loss in Barcelona in 2018.

Zwayer has been an international ref since 2012 and will officiate his second Uefa final after the 2023 Nations League meeting between Croatia and Spain.

Compatriots Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz have been named as his assistants in Bilbao.

Italy's Maurizio Mariani is the fourth official and Bastian Dankert will serve as VAR.

SHOCKING scenes from Tottenham's training ground have sparked a conspiracy theory among Manchester United fans.

United and Spurs are scheduled to lock horns in the Europa League final on May 21 with both desperate to win a trophy and earn a place in next season's Champions League.

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And the Red Devils faithful began playing mind games after a Tottenham training clip emerged on social media showing Ange Postecoglou's men gearing up for the big match.

The short video went viral as it showed ex-Man Utd loanee Sergio Reguilon accidentally wiping out team-mate Brennan Johnson with a very clumsy sliding tackle.

Johnson, 23 - who counts 11 goals and five assists in 31 Premier League appearances - was in obvious pain after the misjudged challenge and needed some time to walk it off.

Thankfully for Spurs the Wales international was able to rejoin his team-mates a few seconds later.

And there was no indication of intent by Reguilon, 28, as it looked like he simply slipped.

However, that still didn't stop United fans from taking to social media and joking that the full-back has remained loyal to the club ahead of the final.

One fan tweeted: "Once a red…."

Another commented: "Agent Regi."

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A third wrote: "My guy!"

This fan said: "United legend Sergio Reguilon."

And that one joked: "Undercover agent for Man United since his loan move."

Postecoglou grimaced when he saw that challenge following an injury-plagued season.

And that fear of more crock woe is why there is no chance he will be repeating predecessor Mauricio Pochettino’s wacky antics ahead of the Europa League final.

Poch made his Spurs players walk over hot coals and run with arrows at their throats as a motivational tactic ahead of facing Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final, which they lost 2-0.

Postecoglou has his own European showpiece against United but the Aussie instead will be using the preparation time to ensure he suffers no more selection woes.

Spurs will definitely be missing James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Radu Dragusin in the final.

More injury woes

And they are sweating on the fitness of Dejan Kulusevski after he limped off early in Sunday’s 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

Asked if he would replicate any of Pochettino’s unorthodox tactics to gee up his players, Postecoglou replied: “We’ve got enough injuries!

“I’ll put them in cotton wool for the next ten days.

“Seriously, with the way things have gone this year, any extra curricular activities are going to be at a minimum.

“I don’t know if you saw training today but we had Reggie tackle Brennan and they are on the same team. That shows how we’re going!

“It seems to be how our season has gone.

Ange takes no chances

“You want to protect the integrity of training and you have to train at a certain level.

“There are the quirks of things that happen. Thankfully nothing too serious.

“You’ve just got to hope and pray that the football gods have run out of challenges to throw to us this year.”

Reguilon joined Tottenham in 2020 from Real Madrid but never really managed to settled down.

That led to loan stints at Atletico Madrid, Brentford and of course United.

The Spain international joined the Manchester giants on September 2023 as emergency cover at left-back following the injuries of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

However, Reguilon barely spent four months at Old Trafford and returned to Tottenham, who then offloaded him to Brentford just two weeks later.

The defender amassed a mere 12 appearances during his short time with United.

That is just seven more than the total number of appearances he has managed this season at Tottenham, where he has fallen out of favour under Postecoglou.

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REAL MADRID will target Cristian Romero this summer - as they look to build a new back-line.

The Spanish giants are set to welcome Trent Alexander-Arnold as one of their marquee signings.

But SunSport can reveal that Real’s business is far from over.

Incoming boss Xabi Alonso is believed to be a huge fan of Romero and thinks he could be the perfect addition to help Real win silverware next season.

Reports last year suggested that Madrid made an ambitious move to land Romero last summer but Spurs had no interest in doing business.

However, after a miserable season which could see the Lilywhites finish 17th in the Premier League table, they may now have little option but to let Romero go this time around.

Spurs know they will find it especially difficult to persuade him to stay if they fail to beat Manchester United in the Europa League final and qualify for the Champions League.

Real Madrid’s defence has been highlighted in Spain as one of the main reasons for their failure to win La Liga or the Champions League this season.

And although the impending arrival of Alexander-Arnold will excite fans, the club know he alone will not be enough.

Question marks also exist around Alexander-Arnold’s defensive skills which has made a centre-back an even bigger priority for the club.

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Alonso also prefers to play with a back three and if he continues with that formation at the Bernabeu it would make signing a new centre-back a priority.

Losing Romero would be a disaster for Spurs.

He’s a hugely popular player among supporters and his absence this season through injury has hit the team hard.

RUBEN AMORIM plunged his own Manchester United future into doubt after the latest Old Trafford debacle.

The Portuguese manager’s admission that he is struggling to find a solution for his team’s shocking season was a clear sign of the uncertainty at the heart of the club.

But the bigger question marks will only be resolved in Bilbao next week.

A Europa League Final win for United over Spurs will mean far more than just the trophy and a silver sheen to cleanse many of the black clouds of despair.

But defeat in the Basque country will have ramifications to last far beyond the summer.

For Spurs, ending their 17-year trophy drought will mean everything to the fans who crave silverware more than any financial consideration.

It would also make Ange Postecoglou's promise that he would win a trophy in his second season into a reality, even if it probably would not be enough to save his job.

But for United, in simple terms, it is about cold, hard cash.

The reality is that winning the Europa League will ensure a looming black hole is filled.

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It will also be another trophy added to the five won since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson 12 years ago.

If United do not triumph in San Mames, the immediate cost will be clear.

A £10m cut in sponsorship revenue, as part of the contract with kit suppliers adidas.

No European football at all, meaning they will miss out on around £49m up front through Uefa’s complicated revenue distribution system plus the £20m-plus in gate receipts from the minimum four home games.

And if, as now seems likely, they do finish 16th in the Prem table, that will mean £23.8m less in TV-related prize money than for last term’s eighth-placed finish.

That all adds up to more than £100m, before the prize money for progress through the Champions League - up to a further potential £95m or so - is taken into account.

Less income equals less money to spend.

And that at a club where owners Ineos and chief executive Omar Berrada have also confirmed 450 staff job cuts already.

What the past nine months have proven, under both Amorim and before him Erik ten Hag, is that this United squad is simply not good enough.

But without the extra financial wriggle room offered by a Champions League campaign, transforming that squad is far, far harder - a situation made even more difficult by the decision of the 20 Prem clubs to extend the current Profitability and Sustainability Rules regime by a further 12 months.

No Europe means United would not have to meet Uefa’s new threshold of limiting wages and transfer fees to 70 per cent of club income - although qualification would make that an easy hurdle to cross.

But the precipitous income drop, combined with a wage bill that hit £479m in 2023-24 and the amount still “owed” on transfer fees for players whom Amorim might wish to lose point to significant PSR issues looming.

United need to agree fees of £28m on Andre Onana, £34m on Antony, £38m on Rasmus Hojlund, £29m on Joshua Zirkzee, £33m on Manuel Ugarte and £15m on Casemiro to break even on any of their sales.

Fees less than that will be book value “losses” on the PSR balance sheet.

And, in truth, it is hard to make arguments that United, as effectively distressed sellers, would be able to realise those sort of bottom line prices for too many of them.

It means that cold, hard decisions might be required, even the sales of players Amorim and the club might otherwise be aiming to keep at Old Trafford.

Amorim suggested that a win in Bilbao would not solve the issues he and the club face.

He is right in that. Yet losing will make them even harder to deal with. That is the scale of the importance of the match.

MANCHESTER UNITED and Tottenham have been mocked ahead of what fans have termed the "worst Europa League final ever".

Both teams have struggled in the Premier League this season amid European campaigns to remember.

United and Spurs both lost 2-0 on Sunday, at home to West Ham and Crystal Palace respectively.

Three points for West Ham means they leapfrog United and Spurs, who are now 16th and 17th in the Prem.

That has prompted supporters of rival clubs to poke fun at the strugglers, with many dumbfounded as to how they have reached the Europa League final.

One fans said: "Europa League Final is between 16th and 17th of Prem Table. This is El Clownico."

Another added: "Both clubs playing in the final of the Europa League are currently down by 2 goals to nothing. It is really a battle of clowns. 🤣🤣🤣"

A third wrote: "Europa league final is gonna be the epitome of trash vs garbage 😭😭😭😭"

And another commented: "These two are going to play the Europa League final. Battle of clowns🤡🤡"

United are now winless in seven league games and suffered an injury blow to Leny Yoro against the Hammers.

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The French centre-back covered his face with his shirt and appeared to be holding back tears as he trudged straight down the tunnel after injuring his foot.

It is the same foot he had a problem with earlier this season and he could now miss the May 21 final.

TOTTENHAM have suffered a major Europa League final blow as Dejan Kulusevski has limped off injured.

The Swedish midfielder sustained a problem in Spurs' Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.

Kulusevski was hurt after a challenge from Eagles captain Marc Guehi.

He received treatment on the pitch and briefly tried to continue.

But he trudged down the tunnel just minutes later and was replaced by Mikey Moore.

Kulusevski had his head in his hands and was consoled by boss Ange Postecoglou as he went into the changing room with a Spurs physio.

It is a huge blow for Tottenham ahead of their blockbuster Europa League final against Manchester United on May 21.

Spurs are already light in midfield as they are without James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall, who are sidelined with knee and ankle ligament injuries respectively.

And with nothing but pride to play for in the Premier League, some fans were fuming over Kulusevski starting today's game.

One fan said: "No reason to play him today at all, was already not fully fit and only played a few days ago, silly move as we have no real No10 now."

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Another added: "Kulusevski off and went straight down the tunnel. This is exactly why Mikey Moore should’ve started."

But others disagreed, writing: "He's no where near match ready for the final, he needs minutes now or he doesn't play."

Kulusevski recently missed six games with a foot issue and has zero goals and one assist in his eight appearances since returning.