Metro.co.uk

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy thanked Ange Postecoglou in a speech after the club’s Europa League victory and believes the trophy can put Spurs ‘on the road to the very top’.

Brennan Johnson’s first-half goal sealed a 1-0 victory against Manchester United in Wednesday’s Europa League final, marking an end to Spurs’ 17-year wait to win a trophy.

Despite the club’s success in the Europa League, which has secured a place in next season’s Champions League, Postecoglou’s future at Spurs remains in doubt due to the team’s woeful Premier League.

Ahead of the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday in which Tottenham host Brighton, Spurs sit 17th in the table with 38 points from 37 games.

But in a speech at Spurs’ Europa League party on Wednesday night, Levy suggested that the team’s success in Europe could now put them on the right path.

‘We’re champions!’ Levy exclaimed after taking the microphone.

Listen, this has been a very long time coming. 1984 was the last time we won a European cup, tonight we made history.

‘I want to thank Ange and all of the coaching staff, all of the players. You guys have gone down in history. Thank you very much.

‘This is a magnificent achievement for the club and hopefully is going to get us on the road where we absolutely deserve to be, which is at the very top. Thank you very much.’

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Postecoglou admitted he had not held talks with Levy over his future as Tottenham manager.

‘No, no planned meetings. I haven’t had any discussions, no one has spoken to me about anything,’ Postecoglou said.

‘Maybe they felt like they don’t need to or they were waiting for this game.

‘What I do know is, I’ll go back to my hotel room, get my family and friends together, open up a nice bottle of scotch, have a couple of quiet ones, get ready for a massive parade on Friday, play Brighton on Sunday. And then Monday I’ll go on holiday with my beautiful family because I deserve it. And que sera sera.’

Meanwhile, Gareth Bale believes Postecoglou still has a future at Spurs despite the team’s poor Premier League form this season.

‘I think only the chairman can decide, to be honest,’ Bale told TNT Sports.

More Trending

‘There’s been so much talk about whether he goes or whether he doesn’t.

‘I guess it’ll be interesting to see that because he’s won a trophy, the first Tottenham manager to do so in a long time. So I guess the board has some decisions to make.

‘I like the football that he plays. Obviously he lacks a bit of a plan B. But tonight showed there is a plan B. There’s a different side to how he’s played.

‘So I guess if he also matures as a manager and brings that defensive side to his teams, of course he can still have great success here.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Arrow MORE: Europa League final: Rubbish game, scrappy goal but Tottenham won, so they don’t give a monkey’s

Arrow MORE: How much money do Championship play-off final winners get for Premier League promotion?

Mikel Arteta has issued a response to Tottenham’s Europa League triumph – and if they had a better season than his Arsenal team.

Spurs defeated Manchester United 1-0 in the final on Wednesday to secure their first major trophy in 17 years and qualify for the Champions League.

Arsenal, meanwhile, ended their season without a trophy and haven’t registered any significant silverware since the FA Cup five years ago, despite Arteta previously trying to count their two Community Shield wins.

Spurs’ victory over United means they have now won a total of four major European titles – double the amount of their north London rivals Arsenal.

Quizzed about Spurs winning the Europa League trophy in his press conference on on Thursday, Arsenal manager Arteta said: ‘I congratulate them.

‘I think they are champions, and when you get to that, you have to do a lot of things right.

‘I think they have gone through a season with again a lot of obstacles and difficulties and they have helped them at the end to manage a beautiful moment.

‘So you have to congratulate. This is a sport and I am sure they have done everything in their hands to achieve it and they are very happy.’

Spurs have massively struggled in the Premier League this season with Ange Postecoglou’s side sitting 17th in the table with just one game left.

They are 15 places below second-placed Arsenal, who look set for their third successive runner-up finish in the Premier League.

Arteta appeared to aim a dig at Spurs ahead of the Europa League final – but after their rivals landed the trophy – he shared an incredibly coy response when asked which club had enjoyed a better season overall.

‘I don’t like to compare with other teams,’ Arteta added. ‘I need to analyse my team. That’s my job.’

Meanwhile, Arteta is already looking ahead to next season as well as the summer transfer window.

‘Obviously you have to rest [first], then you need to be very convinced and aligned of what you want to do to give yourself the best chance,’ he said.

‘Then you need to start to feel that feeling in your tummy that you are willing to come back here on day one, fully motivated, fully enthusiastic to go again with the group of players and staff that we have.

‘I am excited [for next season] but I think now I need as well to rest a little bit, to calm down and to start to make certain decisions in the most efficient way.’

On the summer transfer window, Arteta continued: ‘I think [new sporting director Andrea Berta] is going to be a big contributor. His experience, the fact that he has already won and won in a very difficult context as well, the way he has built teams I think is exceptional.

‘I think we have to share all that responsibility. Andrea is going to be a key part driving the idea and the plans that we have to try to execute them, and we are here to support him.’

Arrow MORE: Ruben Amorim aims brutal dig at Alejandro Garnacho after ‘throwing him under the bus’

Arrow MORE: Viktor Gyokeres’ uncle makes shock claim over Arsenal and Man Utd transfer

Manchester United and Tottenham are fighting to salvage their seasons when they meet in the Europa League final tonight.

For just the fifth time in history, two English sides meet in the final of a major European competition with Champions League qualification also on the line in Bilbao.

A showdown between the clubs sat 16th and 17th in the Premier League has been described as ‘shambolic’ – breaking records and setting a new bar in ineptitude back home.

United and Tottenham have lost 18 and 21 games respectively in the Premier League this season and for Ange Postecoglou, he faces an uncertain future whatever happens in the Basque Country tonight.

Ruben Amorim, who described his United side as ‘the worst in club history’ earlier this year, could find himself under similar pressure should his side wilt on the grandest stage.

Europe has offered respite and hope for both teams this season and now there is light at the end of the dark tunnel for one of them.

Metro’s LIVE blog will bring you all the match build-up from Bilbao, confirmed team news and starting XIs, latest goal updates and minute-by-minute coverage throughout the evening.

Arrow MORE: Europa League final 2025 prize money: How much will Man Utd or Tottenham get as winners?

Arrow MORE: Controversial Europa League final referee Felix Zwayer’s match-fixing ban explained

Both Manchester United and Tottenham can salvage silverware in the Europa League final tonight.

Two English teams meet in a European final for the fifth time in Bilbao tonight, desperate to rescue something from desperately poor Premier League campaigns.

Lifting the trophy will also earn a crucial spot in next season’s Champions League.

Despite their poor league form, Ruben Amorim’s side have remained unbeaten throughout the entire Europa League campaign and eased past Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals to reach the final.

The Red Devils could now lift the trophy for the second time after their triumph under Jose Mourinho back in 2017.

Tottenham, meanwhile, saw off the challenge of Norwegian underdogs Bodo/Glimt in the semis and could now win the club’s first trophy since the League Cup back in 2008.

Despite rotating their squad in recent matches to rest key players, both teams have several injury doubts ahead of Wednesday’s final in Bilbao.

United will be without Matthijs de Ligt despite the Dutchman making the trip to Spain but Leny Yoro is expected to play.

De Ligt has missed the last three games after picking up a fresh knock against Brentford at the start of May, while Yoro limped off during United’s defeat to West Ham two weekends ago.

Yoro trained on Tuesday along with Diogo Dalot, who is available again after missing six games with a calf injury.

There was another surprise return with Joshua Zirkzee back among the group. Yoro, Dalot and Zirkzee are all available tonight, although Amorim did suggest at a press conference on Tuesday their minutes will be limited.

Ayden Heaven’s cameo appearance against Chelsea – his first minutes since March – provided another boost for Amorim, although it’s unclear if fellow centre-back Jonny Evans will be able to be feature after his similarly lengthy lay-off.

Toby Collyer could be called upon after making his long-awaited return to United’s matchday squad against Chelsea.

Tottenham, meanwhile, find themselves short of options in central midfield after James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall were all ruled out of Wednesday’s final.

There were additional concerns for Pape Matar Sarr after he limped off during Friday’s defeat to Aston Villa, but Ange Postecoglou passed his midfielder fit when he spoke to the press yesterday.

Postecoglou rested several key players on Friday, but captain Heung-Min Son did play from the start, managing 74 minutes as he continued his comeback from a foot injury.

Predicted Tottenham XI to face Man Utd

Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie, Bentancur, Bissouma, Odobert, Johnson, Solanke, Son.

Predicted Man utd XI to face Tottenham

Onana, Mazraoui, Maguire, Shaw, Amad, Casemiro, Ugarte, Dorgu, Fernandes, Garnacho, Hojlund.

Where to watch Tottenham vs Man Utd? TV channel and kick-off time

The Europa League final between Tottenham and Manchester United will kick off at 8pm on Wednesday, 21 May 2025.

Viewers can tune into the action via TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 6pm.

The final will also be able to watch for free, with fans simply needing to create a discovery+ account to stream the game at no extra cost.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Arrow MORE: Man Utd flop tipped to become a ‘superstar’ under Ruben Amorim next season: ‘He’s a baller’

Arrow MORE: Tottenham vs Man Utd: Win the Europa League final and Spurs have had a better season than Arsenal – trophies are the priority

Priorities. Got yours in order? Is each day for you a slick march through the to do list, striking tasks one by one, progress to your goals assured? Each week and month slotting cleanly into the broader scheme, one that means the five-year plan can’t fail.

No? If you’re idly reading this on Wednesday morning, I can’t imagine your life is so rigid. But then again if you are on the way to the Europa League final, perhaps the reading of every scrap concerned with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is your priority, in which case congratulations, keep at it, you’re doing a fantastic job.

Personally, I find it near impossible to figure out how to prioritise anything in life. Except that if something must happen soon, then I seem to prioritise anything else that might possibly be around to do.

Even the dishwasher, or fixing the broken toilet roll thingy. In the end the decision is generally made for me by the cruel march of time. The deadline arrives, it must be done.

It’s irritating. But it is also true that for most of us it is hard to easily tell what should – or should not – be prioritised to make our lives complete.

Not so if you’re a football club. Their priority is to win. And like many with the resources, but more painfully, perhaps, than all, if you are Tottenham Hotspur, your aim, long established, long derided, is to win silverware.

Tonight Tottenham return to a major European final for the first time since 2019. Their aim is a first European trophy in 41 years (well, 40 years 363 days actually). It is hard to express what this trophy would mean to this club. But, everything.

Mauricio Pochettino is held in such high regard by Spurs supporters not just for that mad, beautiful Champions League run – in a season without signings – but for his decency and his commitment to treating the ambitions of Tottenham fans with respect.

I will always love Poch, and whenever I see him making flirty little comments about the fanbase and the club, my Spurs group chats light up. We miss him still.

But one area where he perhaps underestimated the fans’ desire was in the yearning for a cup. He prioritised the league over going deep in domestic cup competitions, and we were rewarded – but never got to kick out the trophy cabinet mothballs or earn a rebuttal to the jokes.

Ange Postecoglou understands this. Iron-clad self-belief can seem frightening up close, but his claim ‘I always win something in my second year’ is not just a (correct) boast, it is also a statement of intent and a source of pride and comfort to his squad: we will get there, it is ordained.

He cannot know what will come to pass in Bilbao tonight. But that established refrain means we ride on confidence rather than desperation. Yes, despite it all.

Clickbait chumps have demanded that the established bonus for winning the Europa League – a place in the Champions League – be stripped from either Tottenham or Manchester United because of their laughable positions in the Premier League table.

And for both sets of fans this year much domestic football has been a humiliating grind.

But Postecoglou has prioritised. I’m not trying to claim the league form is a deliberate trade, but he looked at what was available to him, identified the tasks ahead and had to choose. He chose right.

And because the Europa League winner does earn Champions League football, sorry Keysy, tonight makes an irrelevance of the league finish. The Premier League form is not even really a compromise, except to the suffering of my eyes.

Win tonight and no one can deny Spurs’ season is better than that of repeat league runners-up Arsenal.

And this is the difference between football as a job and football as a hobby. No one is rationing fans’ word count or energy resources. It’s perfectly fine to spend the whole season bemoaning Ange’s lack of nous and then gloat ad nauseam if the cup is ours. Because practical realities mean nothing. It’s like promising 0% immigration to the UK from Trump’s golden elevator, rather than running the country.

There is a plan, which this team and this manager have my utmost respect for making, whether or not it plays out tonight in Spurs’ favour.

See you in the Champions League next season, suckers.

Arrow MORE: Is the Europa League final 2025 on YouTube? How to watch for free in the UK

Arrow MORE: Manchester United receive triple injury boost ahead of Europa League final

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed Lucas Bergvall will not feature in Tottenham’s Europa League final against Manchester United despite travelling with the squad to Bilbao.

The midfielder suffered an ankle ligament injury at the end of April, missing his side’s last three Premier League games and both semi-final legs against Bodo Glimt.

The 19-year-old, who has started 24 matches in all competitions this season, was ruled out for the rest of the season, but developments this week fuelled hope he could still have some role to play in the Basque Country this week.

The Swede was seen training with the team and travelled with the squad to Bilbao.

But despite hopes of a shock inclusion tomorrow night, Postecoglou has ruled him out of returning at San Mames.

‘Team news is pretty much the same as last week. Lucas [Bergvall] isn’t available so it’s pretty much the same as last week,’ Postecoglou said.

Spurs were dealt another injury worry when Pape Matar Sarr was forced off during last Friday’s Premier League defeat at Aston Villa.

The midfielder, among the few first-team regulars to start at Villa Park, was replaced after 53 minutes, heading straight down the tunnel after gingerly leaving the pitch.

Sarr however is ‘fine’ after that scare and is in contention to make the starting XI tomorrow night.,

Like his counterpart at Old Trafford, Postecoglou is under huge pressure heading into the final with both Spurs and United desperate to salvage silverware after dreadful domestic campaigns.

There have been suggestions the Australian could be sacked regardless of who lifts the trophy with the Spurs boss insisting his future is ‘irrelevant’ ahead of kick-off.

‘It doesn’t matter really. Because the reality is, the opportunity is the same for me and for the club,’ he said.

‘I’ve said before, whatever happens beyond tomorrow is kind of irrelevant when you think about the opportunity that exists right now, to provide something special for this club and the supporters and everyone who has worked so hard the last 16 years waiting for a trophy and the last 41 years waiting for a European trophy.

‘If I was worried about my tenure at this club, fair to say we wouldn’t be in this position because I would have got distracted long ago and I’m pretty good at making sure my focus is on giving this club the best opportunity to do something special.

‘Whatever happens after that I’m very comfortable that I’ll continue on trying to win trophies wherever I am.’

Arrow MORE: Man Utd make ‘concrete move’ to sign top Arsenal target this week

Arrow MORE: Tottenham told they have ‘huge’ advantage over Manchester United in Europa League final

Manchester United go into the Europa League final against Tottenham with a poor recent record against their Premier League rivals.

Through the 1990s and 2000s, the Red Devils were incredibly dominant over Tottenham, leading to Alex Ferguson’s famous team talk: ‘Lads, it’s Tottenham.’

However, Manchester United are not the force they were under the Scot and their fortunes against Tottenham have changed of late.

Spurs have won their last three meetings with the Red Devils and have not been beaten in six contests with the side from Old Trafford.

Given Tottenham have hardly been the epitome of consistency, it is a disappointing recent record for Manchester United against a club they used to handle with relative ease.

That recent record will be forgotten if Ruben Amorim’s side can beat Ange Postecoglou’s in Bilbao on Wednesday night.

Spurs will be hoping to draw on their impressive run of results, though, having to go back as far as October 2022 for the last time they lost to Manchester United.

When did Manchester United last beat Tottenham?

Manchester United’s last victory over Tottenham came on October 19 2022 in the form of a 2-0 Premier League win.

Erik ten Hag was in charge of the Red Devils and Antonio Conte was Spurs boss, with Fred and Bruno Fernandes scoring the goals.

Ten Hag deployed a front three of Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho, showing how much has changed since then as all three are now out on loan.

The Dutchman spoke optimisitcally after the win, saying: ‘This was the game from start to the end we were really good and I told the team it was very enjoyable to watch.

‘The plan was to get in those spaces, but you need switch of play, dynamic and get their backline back. You have to get the spaces for the shots and it was good to see the transfer of the gameplan.

‘The Spurs team is a great team so far, I have analysed them and it was difficult to play them. That is why I am so happy with the performance and it was good to see.’

Since that game the teams have played six times, resulting in four wins for Tottenham and two draws.

There have been three games this season alone, with Spurs winning all three, two in the Premier League and the other in the Carabao Cup.

Amorim has been in charge for the two most recent meetings, so is yet to avoid defeat to Postecoglou.

The last game in February was won 1-0 by Tottenham thanks to a James Maddison goal and it did not go down as a Premier League classic.

Speaking after the loss, Amorim said: ‘In the end, they scored, we didn’t. That was the big difference in the game. We had a lot of chances but in the end they scored one and we didn’t.

‘The first step is to create situations. We have had games where we are around the box and not created situations. This game, we create situations. But in this game with two teams not doing well, one goal was always going to make the difference.’

Manchester United and Tottenham have met in European competition before, way back in the 1963-64 Cup Winners’ Cup as the Red Devils progressed 4-3 on aggregate over two legs.

Arrow MORE: Man Utd or Tottenham? Joe Cole makes Europa League final prediction

Arrow MORE: ‘Unhappy’ Enzo Maresca says Real Betis have one big advantage over Chelsea ahead of Europa Conference League

Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has plumped for Tottenham to get the better of Manchester United in the Europa League final.

The stakes could not be higher ahead this year’s all-English affair, with Champions League qualification on the line for the two Premier League rivals in Bilbao.

Languishing down in 17th and 16th respectively in the English top flight, Wednesday night’s eagerly anticipated contest represents an opportunity for one of Spurs or United to save what has otherwise been a wretched campaign.

Ruben Amorim has been sweating over the fitness of several of his key men heading into the match, but Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee were all pictured in training on the eve of the clash.

Tottenham, meanwhile, are set to be without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall through injury, leaving Ange Postecoglou with an almighty selection headache at the San Mames Stadium.

Both teams enter the game having suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League and Cole believes it is a ‘hard one to call’ between the two desperately out-of-form sides.

But the ex-England winger has backed Postecoglou’s men to edge out the Red Devils and get their hands on a first major trophy since the club’s League Cup triumph way back in 2008.

‘I always like both teams to score when Tottenham are playing so I’ll be going with that again here. Can you bet on both teams to lose? No? Are we sure? How do we go about this game?’ Cole said in his Paddy Power column.

‘Both teams to score is the most likely thing to happen in this match but Spurs are missing possibly all of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall as well which gives them a lack of creativity.

‘What does Ange Postecoglou do with that front three with Son Heung-min coming back in? Manchester United looked good at Chelsea for at least half of the game… it’s a hard one to call.

‘Two of my best bets for these teams this year have been both teams to score and for Bruno Fernandes to score or assist for United. I’m going to start with those two bets and then pick a winner and that’s a 50/50 for me.’

Cole continued: ‘I’m happy to go either way, but I’m going to put my neck on the line and go for Spurs in the 90 minutes – only because I’ve got some mates travelling all around the world in 80 days to get there so I want Spurs to win for them!

‘Masochism is real! Those first two are my bets and then whatever your hunch is for a result back that and just enjoy the game!’

In a separate interview with Mail Online, Cole said: ‘I fancy Spurs in the game.

‘I’ve got a few of my pals going out there and watching it and I don’t want to see them crying on my shoulder again.

‘I’ve had enough of them all getting sad so I want them to have a lovely day, and win a trophy so we can all get off their backs in the group chats.’

More Trending

Former England striker Alan Shearer has also backed Tottenham to end their long wait for silverware – but feels the match could be decided via a dreaded penalty shootout.

‘Who would you say are favourites? Tottenham because of their record against Man United this season?’ Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer, said on The Rest Is Football podcast.

‘They have both been rotten in the Premier League yet one of them is going to be playing Champions League football next season.

‘My prediction is 2-2 or 3-3 after extra-time and Tottenham to win on penalties.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Arrow MORE: Jamie Carragher warns £30million Man Utd transfer target to join Premier League rival

Arrow MORE: Man Utd enter transfer race to sign Premier League star to replace €55m flop

Alan Shearer has backed Tottenham to beat Manchester United in a penalty shootout in the upcoming Europa League final.

The struggling Premier League clubs meet in Bilbao on Wednesday night with a major trophy and Champions League football on the line.

Spurs go into the game sitting 17th in the Premier League and without a Premier League win since early April.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have lost 21 of their 37 league games this season but have managed to put their dismal domestic form to one side in Europe.

In a favourable Europa League run, Tottenham beat AZ Alkmaar, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo-Glimt to reach the May 21 final.

It is a similar story for a Manchester United side who last tasted victory in the Premier League in mid-March.

Embarrassing results in the league have not stopped United from reaching another major final, with Ruben Amorim’s side beating Real Sociedad, Lyon and Athletic Bilbao on route to the showpiece event.

Revealing his prediction for the intriguing Europa League final, ex-England striker Alan Shearer said on The Rest is Football podcast: ‘Who would you say are favourites? Tottenham because of their record against Man United this season?

‘They have both been rotten in the Premier League yet one of them is going to be playing Champions League football next season.

‘My prediction is 2-2 or 3-3 after extra-time and Tottenham to win on penalties.’

As Shearer mentioned, Spurs have already beaten Manchester United three times this season and Gary Lineker believes it will be number four on Wednesday night.

‘Talk about a huge game for both clubs,’ the outgoing Match of the Day presenter said.

‘The winner gets Champions League and a trophy and the loser gets nothing.

‘Man United seem to win trophies even when they’re not very good. They’ve done that over the last few years, whether they can sustain it I don’t know.

More Trending

‘I think it’s really tight, it could be anything, but I’m going to go for Spurs. We’ve seen a lot of teams that haven’t won for ages win stuff this season so maybe that will work on their favour. But it could easily go to extra-time.’

In better news for Manchester United, Micah Richards believes it will be the men in red lifting the Europa League trophy and has backed Bruno Fernandes to ‘make the difference’.

‘I think in the Europa league, Bruno has been exceptional,’ he said. ‘I think it could come down to a big moment where he steps up so I’m going for United, just.

‘Bruno this season, amongst all the nonsense and bad performances, really has stepped up and I think he’s the man to make the difference on the final. I’m going for a 1-0 United win.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Arrow MORE: How Ruben Amorim was talked out of shock Manchester United resignation

Arrow MORE: Rio Ferdinand fears Man Utd are inferior to Tottenham in one key area

Rio Ferdinand has serious doubts that Manchester United will beat Tottenham in the Europa League final, saying his former club are physically inferior to other Premier League sides.

The fascinating clash in Bilbao on Wednesday night will see one of the sides lift the trophy and book themselves a place in next season’s Champions League.

It will be a stunning prize for one of two teams that have been woeful in the Premier League this season, with United 16th and Spurs one place below them.

Ferdinand feels one of the Red Devils’ big problems this season has been their physical inferiority, which is something they will struggle with again as they take on Premier League opposition in Europe.

‘The worrying thing for me from a Man United perspective is that physically we can’t keep up with any team in the Premier League,’ Ferdinand told talkSPORT.

‘If they go man-to-man and go toe-to-toe with us, we’re at a disadvantage because our profile of our players at Man United are not players that can run as hard and as fast, and as long, and they’re not as powerful as other teams.

‘That’s a big thing in the Premier League. In the Europa, we’re overpowering every team.

‘There’s only one team I’ve watched us play against in the Europa League that we struggled against and thought, “Ooh, that was a bit too close for comfort.” Rangers, who are more akin to a Premier League side, physically.

‘So that’s the concern for me in the final playing against a Premier League team, who have beaten us three times, that physically can, minimum, match us.’

The former England defender is not quite tipping a Manchester United defeat in Bilbao, but cannot be anything like confident that Ruben Amorim’s side will lift the trophy.

‘I have to be honest, I can’t call a Man United result. They’re so inconsistent, or they have consistently been bad in the Premier League,’ he told Optus Sport.

‘But the fact that they are playing against Spurs, another consistently bad team in the Premier League. But they have players who can win a match. It makes it such a hard game to call.’

Ferdinand has gone as far as saying only a ‘lunatic’ would be surprised if Spurs picked up a win in Spain, having won their last three meetings with United.

‘I don’t think the fans can be too surprised. They beat us three times already this season, so it’s not going to be a surprise if they beat us a fourth time,’ said Ferdinand.

‘I think it’s only going to be stupid people that are going, “Oh my god, I can’t believe this.”

‘We’re 16th because we’ve lost a lot of games. 18 Premier League games we’ve lost this season. Anyone who’s surprised if we don’t win this game against Spurs is a lunatic, in my eyes.’

Arrow MORE: Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly earns wild praise from Man Utd and Liverpool legends

Arrow MORE: Bruno Fernandes names three Man Utd teammates he wants to see ‘step up’