Manchester Evening News

James Maddison shares four-word update as Man United Europa League final decision confirmed

Manchester United are preparing to take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final at Bilbao's San Mames Stadium on Wednesday night

Tottenham Hotspur's key midfielder James Maddison has shared an image of himself with his teammates in Bilbao ahead of the Europa League final against Manchester United on Wednesday night.

Maddison has enjoyed a good recent history against United having scored a winner against the club in February. The goal came just days after Roy Keane had questioned the midfielder's ability.

And ahead of the final against United, Maddison was pictured in the Basque Country with his teammates. Posting an image of him on their social media channels, Spurs' official account wrote: "Taking it all in."

The message was subsequently shared by the player himself on his own Instagram stories. Despite flying to Bilbao with the Tottenham squad, Maddison will not be playing any part in the match on Wednesday night.

The former Leicester City man is currently injured and is undergoing treatment which shall keep him out for the remainder of the campaign. Earlier this month, Maddison confirmed he would not be featuring in the Europa League final, telling his 1.9m Instagram followers: "Gutted. Just absolutely gutted.

"We’ve had our sights on that European final in Bilbao from day one of this campaign. So to accept not being able to take part out on that pitch with the boys is really tough to take.

"Injuries are just part of this game that can be so cruel at times. But I truly believe that it can be a special night for my football club.

"Bring on the 21st. All together."

While he did not feature, Maddison was pitchside with Ange Postecoglou and the Spurs squad as they trained on the pitch at the San Mames Stadium on Tuesday. The winner of the Europa League final on Wednesday night will progress to the Champions League next season.

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Manchester United have travelled to Bilbao ahead of Wednesday night's Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur at the San Mames Stadium

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has insisted that his team are confident they can beat Manchester United for the fourth time this season and win the Europa League.

The two Premier League clubs who have been statistically the worst in the division this season, bar those who have been relegated, meet in Bilbao on Wednesday night with a place in next season's Champions League on the line. Considering United's track record of playing in Europe, the pressure is on them to win and book their place in the top tier competition.

For Spurs, the pressure is just as great as not only will they be without Europe if they lose, they shall also extend their wait for a major trophy which dates back to 2008. What's more, their manager Ange Postecoglou has insisted he always wins a trophy by his second season at a club and the Europa League marks his last opportunity to do just that.

Speaking in an interview with GQ, Van de Ven insisted that his team are feeling good about the final. "If you join Spurs, of course people make jokes that you’re never going to win a trophy," he explained.

"This group of players and staff want to make sure we change this for the fans and the club. We want to win for the gaffer, of course.

"Everyone knows he’s said he always wins things in his second year [at a club]. It’s a nice quote for him and it would make it even more beautiful if we can make it happen.

"He has been so positive the whole season and made sure that no one ever lets their head down even if we played a terrible game. We never had a feeling that he was giving up on us; he’s always kept pushing us.

"That’s why at the end of a tough season we still believe we will win." Belief for Van de Ven and his teammates is likely to also come from the recent record between these two clubs.

United have met Tottenham in three matches - two in the Premier League and one in the Carabao Cup - and the Reds are yet to taste victory. Their most recent victory came in the Premier League when James Maddison's strike was the difference between the two teams.

Tottenham will be without their key midfielder on Wednesday night though as he continues his recovery from injury.

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Manchester United fans always follow their club home and away in huge numbers, no matter where or how far they need to travel.

And that is no different ahead of Wednesday's Europa League final in Bilbao, as thousands of United supporters have started to arrive in the Basque Country.

United take on Tottenham Hotspur in Wednesday's final as Ruben Amorim looks to secure his first major trophy as Manchester United head coach.

The winners of the tie will also secure qualification to next season's Champions League, so the stakes could not be higher as both sides bid to win a major European trophy.

Bilbao's San Mames Stadium holds a capacity of 53,289 with United and Tottenham both being allocated 14,770 tickets.

But the number of United fans making the trip to Bilbao is expected to far exceed that allocation, with many Reds just wanting to be in the city to soak up the atmosphere of the final, despite not having a ticket.

Many have had to make long journeys via connecting flights to reach their destination, too, and despite a dire Premier League season, United's support remains up there with the very best and most dedicated in world football.

With that in mind, we have collated some of the best pictures of United fans in Bilbao on Tuesday, as the build-up continues towards the big game tomorrow.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has shared mixed news on the injury front.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has confirmed midfielder Pape Matar Sarr will be available for Wednesday night's Europa League final against Manchester United - but Lucas Bergvall will miss out.

The midfielder was forced off in the second half of Spurs' 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Friday night, sparking fears he could be in danger of missing the showpiece event at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao.

Sarr, 22, went straight down the tunnel at Villa Park, flanked by a member of Spurs' medical team, but Postecoglou later confirmed that he did not anticipate it was "anything too serious".

"Pape felt something in his back, so we took him off as a bit of a precaution," Postecoglou said after the game. "I don’t think it's anything too significant, speaking to him afterwards but he just felt something in his back."

The Spurs boss has now insisted that the Senegalese international is available to be involved against United, telling the media at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon: "Pape is fine."

However, the Spurs chief will have to make do without midfielder Bergvall. Despite being ruled out for the rest of the season a few weeks ago due to an ankle injury, rumours had been circling to suggest the midfielder could make a surprise return against the Reds.

However, the Londoners' injury situation has not changed, meaning the Swede will play no part against Ruben Amorim's side.

"Team news is the same as last week," said Postecoglou. "Lucas will not be available."

Spurs flew out to the Basque Country on Monday and James Maddison was within their travelling squad. He, like Bergvall, was ruled out for the remainder of the season a few weeks ago.

However, confirmation from Postecoglou that the injury situation remains unchanged means the attacking-midfielder is poised to miss the final.

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'I'm not a clown' - Ange Postecoglou lets rip at Tottenham reporter before Europa League final

Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou was in quotable form during what could have been one of his last pre-match press conferences with the club.

Tottenham Hotspur coach Ange Postecoglou berated a reporter on the eve of their Europa League final with Manchester United for suggesting he could be remembered as a "clown".

The final in Bilbao is expected to be Postecoglou's penultimate match in charge of Spurs, whose Premier League campaign concludes at home against Brighton on Sunday. The club are bidding to win their first trophy since 2008 against United.

Spurs are 17th in the Premier League in their worst top flight season since they were relegated in 1977 but Postecoglou, who took over at the club in 2023, won a trophy in his second season in charge of former clubs South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F. Marinos and Celtic.

A piece in the Evening Standard on Tuesday stated, "As Spurs prepare for Bilbao, Postecoglou is therefore in a strange position, teetering between hero and clown."

When the reporter responsible for the piece asked Postecoglou a question as to whether he was conscious of the fine line between success and failure, Postecoglou rounded on him.

"That depends on your outlook, but I'll tell you one thing, irrespective of tomorrow, I'm not a clown and never will be," Postecoglou fumed.

"You really disappointed me that you used such terminology to describe a person that for 26 years, without any favours from anyone, has worked his way to be in a position where he is leading out a club in a major European competition.

"For you to suggest that somehow us not being successful means that I'm a clown, I'm not really sure how to answer that question."

Postecoglou previously suggested he was regarded as "a clown" when Celtic appointed him as their head coach in 2021.

The Australian also added his future is "assured", whatever the outcome of the final against United. "My future is assured, I wouldn't be the first person who changes jobs, mate, we all change jobs. I'm sure you've had more than one job. My future's assured.

"I've got a beautiful family, I've got a great life, I'll keep on winning trophies until I finish so don't worry about my future, mate. My future is not entwined with anything.

"My future is assured, provided, god willing, my health remains and my beautiful family's beside me and my friends. There's nothing wrong with my future, mate. Don't stress, mate. Sleep easier at night. I will be okay.

"I don't think my job is done here. I really feel like we're building something and winning a trophy hopefully accelerates that so I still think there's a lot of work to be done.

"The challenges we've had this year are well chronicled but there's some reasoning in that in the context of that but also there's been some growth I'd like to see through. Whether that happens or not is not that important right now.

"I think this job is far from finished, there's some growth there that we can take this club to where it needs to be."

Man Utd are travelling to Bilbao on Tuesday and here is their official travelling squad for the Europa League final.

Leny Yoro, Diogo Dalot and Joshua Zirkzee have been included in Manchester United's travelling squad to face Tottenham Hotspur.

Yoro, Dalot and Zirkzee all returned to full training at Carrington on Tuesday morning, which is a huge boost for Ruben Amorim ahead of the Europa League final against Tottenham.

United initially feared Zirkzee would be ruled out for the season, but the forward has made strong progress in his recovery and will be available for selection in Bilbao. Yoro and Dalot are also in contention to start at the Estadio de San Mames after taking part in the last training session ahead of the final.

Matthijs de Ligt has not been included in the squad. The defender picked up an injury against Brentford on May 4 and was spotted doing light individual work at Carrington on Tuesday.

With the exception of De Ligt, Amorim has a fully fit squad at his disposal for the final, which is welcome news for United's head coach after dealing with a lengthy injury list throughout the season.

Tottenham travelled to the Basque Country on Monday evening, but United decided to prepare for the final by training at Carrington, just like they have for each European away game this season.

James Maddison was included in Spurs' travelling squad, but it's unclear whether he'll be fit enough to feature.

United travelling squad

Goalkeepers: Onana, Bayindir, Heaton, Mee.Defenders: Evans, Amass, Dorgu, Dalot, Fredricson, Yoro, Maguire, Heaven, Lindelof, Mazraoui, Shaw.Midfielders: Mainoo, Eriksen, Ugarte, Mount, Fernandes, Collyer, Casemiro.Attackers: Hojlund, Amad, Garnacho, Zirkzee.

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Manchester United's staff and players appeared to be in good spirits as they took part in an open training session in front of the world's media on Tuesday morning.

United take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final in Bilbao on Wednesday evening as Ruben Amorim looks to win his first trophy as United boss.

With the prize on offer a place in next season's Champions League, as well as winning a major European trophy, the stakes could not be higher for United in northern Spain.

But before they jetted off this afternoon, they didn't appear to be feeling the pressure as they took in their final preparations at their Carrington training ground.

Amorim and his staff appeared to be in a jovial mood and the vibes were positive ahead of the club's biggest game in years.

Alejandro Garnacho was sporting a new bleached blonde hair cut while the trio of Leny Yoro, Diogo Dalot and Joshua Zirkzee returned from their respective injuries to give United a major boost heading into tomorrow's final.

With that in mind, here is a look at the best pictures from this morning's training session.

Man United have trained at Carrington on the eve of the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao

Tottenham Hotspur have already travelled to the Basque Country, but United trained at Carrington on Wednesday morning to prepare for the Europa League final and they will fly to Bilbao in the afternoon.

Amorim had been sweating on the fitness of Yoro, Zirkzee and Dalot for the final after they missed the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Friday but they were involved in training and look set to be available for the final tomorrow.

However, there was no sign of Matthijs de Ligt with the Dutch international now looking likely to miss the final in Bilbao.

Jonny Evans was involved in training, while Ayden Heaven made his return from a lay-off with a late appearance from the bench against Chelsea and Toby Collyer was fit enough to make the bench after recovering from a muscle injury.

Chido Obi was involved in the session but is not eligible to be named in the matchday squad.

Obi was joined by fellow youngsters Tyler Fredricson, Harry Amass and Toby Collyer, Ely Harrison and Dermot Mee in training this morning.

Tottenham feared they could be without James Maddison through injury for the Europa League final, but the playmaker was spotted travelling with their squad to Bilbao on Monday afternoon.

United training squad

Goalkeepers: Onana, Heaton, Bayindir, Mee, HarrisonDefenders: Dalot, Yoro, Dorgu, Mazraoui, Maguire, Shaw, Heaven, Amass, Fredricson, Lindelof, Evans. Midfielders: Casemiro, Fernandes, Mount, Eriksen, Collyer, Ugarte, Mainoo.Attackers: Garnacho, Zirkzee, Amad, Hojlund, Obi.

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Here at the Manchester Evening News, we're dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.

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Marcus Rashford shows true Man United colours in three-word Europa League final message

Marcus Rashford has sent a message to his Manchester United team-mates ahead of their Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.

Marcus Rashford has sent his best wishes to his Manchester United as they prepare for their pivotal Europa League final clash with Tottenham on Wednesday night.

Ruben Amorim's squad have jetted off to Bilbao eager to cap off a turbulent campaign with a trophy, which would also clinch Champions League qualification.

Having already claimed victory at the Estadio de San Mames by defeating Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals, United now face their domestic foes in the bid for another European triumph.

Despite the high stakes, Amorim has been clear that even lifting the trophy won't rectify a season that's seen the team plummet to 16th place after tasting defeat 18 times.

On Instagram, United shared insights from several players regarding the forthcoming final, with Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo, Patrick Dorgu, and Christian Eriksen all featuring.

Rashford responded to the post expressing his support with the comment: "Good luck guys," accompanied by a star emoji. Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan in the winter transfer window and has scored four goals, assisting five more.

A hamstring injury prematurely ended his season, with his last appearance coming against Manchester City where he found the net, albeit in a 2-1 loss, reports the Mirror.

Missing out on Villa's 3-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace, Rashford returned to Carrington for an assessment on his injury.

It seems unlikely that Rashford could be reintegrated into the United setup under Ruben Amorim, given the head coach's disparaging comments on the forward's training commitment.

Amorim publicly rebuked Rashford, saying he'd choose his ageing goalkeeping coach over a player who "does not give the maximum".

With Villa holding an option to secure Rashford’s signature for approximately £40million, speculation is rife about whether the club will take up the offer, which could see United settling his remaining contract.

Rashford has made 426 appearances for United having joined the academy at the age of seven, tallying up 138 goals and collecting five significant trophies.

The 27-year-old has tasted both triumph and defeat in Europa League finals, celebrating victory against Ajax in 2017 and enduring the heartbreak of a penalty shootout loss to Villarreal in 2021.

United have perfect preparation plan for Europa League final thanks to Erik ten Hag

Go through the wreckage of that 2023/24 season under Erik ten Hag, and it's the FA Cup final performance at Wembley that stands out by a mile.

The contrast from the humiliating way they won the semi-final, throwing away a three-goal lead against Coventry City, surviving an unbearably tight VAR call to lose 4-3 and then winning on penalties, to the way they outplayed and outthought Manchester City is still stunning to this day.

It was a performance of poise and precision, a day when the game plan worked to perfection and a reminder of the talent within the ranks. It was by some distance Ten Hag's best day in the job.

In fact, it was so good that rather than being his last day in the job, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe had planned, he earned himself another chance. The challenge of lifting this team to performances of that quality on a weekly basis was beyond him, but the squad involved at Wembley agree that it was a triumph for Ten Hag last year.

He got the tone of the build-up right, inspiring players through cleverly thought-out speeches and video presentations, and got his tactics spot on, outwitting Pep Guardiola. Doing the same to Ange Postecoglou might not be the same challenge, but a final is always different for a head coach, and Amorim will have to get the tone right this week.

Read the full story, here.

Tottenham's confirmed travelling squad

James Maddison has been included in Tottenham Hotspur's travelling party to Bilbao to face Manchester United in the Europa League final.

In a video released via the club's social media channels, 21 players were pictured boarding the bus ahead of catching their flight to Bilbao on Monday evening.

And Maddison, who Ange Postecoglou said would miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury, was pictured as part of the travelling party.

Tottenham players pictured in the travelling squad: Guillermo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Callum Olusesi, Damola Ajayi, Pape Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Mikey Moore, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Son Heung-Min, Mathys Tel, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, Dane Scarlett, Will Lankshear

Read the full story, here.

Why United are sticking to their pre-match plan

Tottenham flew to Bilbao on Monday. United are scheduled to fly at 3pm on Tuesday. Spurs are training at San Mames whereas United will train at Carrington. Ange Postecoglou's pre-match press conference at San Mames is at 1645. Ruben Amorim is scheduled to speak at 1930.

United had a meeting with Uefa about landing slots at Bilbao Airport. The airport felt tiny accommodating a couple of thousand United fans when they flew in two seasons ago and in recent months, never mind the arrival of tens of thousands of English football fans.

Superstitious supporters may start to get twitchy. Have Spurs gone too early? Are United going too late? United's itinerary is in keeping with their European schedule this season: train at home, afternoon flight and evening press conference. 3pm is their usual departure time for a European away game.

Read the full story, here.