The Independent

As both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur came together in Bilbao, for a rare showpiece that distils so many disparate strands of both clubs' dismal seasons, there was one conspicuous difference between the camps.

Virtually everyone from Spurs said they were here to “change the bad season”, to “change the narrative”, to just “change something”. These comments came from Son Heung Min, Micky van de Ven and Ange Postecoglou.

With United, Ruben Amorim said this final changes nothing. That might be in keeping with the Portuguese’s unexpectedly scathing criticism of his own campaign - to the extent that it almost feels like he goes so severe to give himself cover - but it’s also consistent with the mood in his squad.

Bruno Fernandes spoke matter-of-factly about just winning a trophy. There was obvious discussion about what Champions League qualification would mean, but very little as regards the meaning of lifting the Europa League itself.

That’s because this is just what United do. Even in one of the worst periods of their history, they have won two trophies in two seasons, and are now going for their third.

It is not what Spurs do, at least in the modern era. Even in one of the best periods of their history, which was Mauricio Pochettino’s wildly overachieving spell, they still couldn't get that trophy. It is why victory would genuinely mean so much.

One question that weighs over this final is whether these different cultures are going to contribute to the outcome. It’s hard not to think it would be a much bigger discussion, were it not for the fact that it is just one of many extremes that frame this game.

Rarely has a match been so utterly binary. And that’s in terms of perception, potential analysis and even effect.

In the most basic terms, the winner will have enjoyed a successful season, the lifting of a trophy all that really remains in the memory. The loser will be cast as a total failure, with a final defeat just following on from dire league form.

It has already been revealed on these pages how there has never previously been a European final where both teams have been so low in their domestic leagues. It is genuinely unprecedented. They have both wasted so much money to get here, which is below where the club hierarchies would idealise.

That has in turn ensured this game has created this immense need, where the financial effects of Champions League qualification have become disproportionately important. The Europa League final may consequently form a sliding doors moment for English football, potentially re-energising one of these clubs. That has certainly been the main focus at Old Trafford.

One fair description, at least in relative terms, is that this is one of the worst finals in history.

And yet that may well make it one of the most entertaining. European competition has already inverted the norms of both of their seasons. Where they have been hapless in the Premier League, they have been heroic in Europe.

United have gone from a drab side so easy to pick apart to one that plays with real conviction. The first leg performance against Bilbao was so emphatic. Spurs have gone from a naive team that often collapse, to one that has displayed real canniness. The victory over Eintracht Frankfurt was a tactical masterclass.

There are obvious caveats to all of this, that figures within both clubs are only too keen to point to. One is injuries, and how that gradually left them needing to prioritise Europe over domestic lost causes.

A fair response is that Premier League champions Liverpool have shown how fitness injuries are no longer just blind bad luck. At the same time, this very theme may fittingly influence the game, offering a final coda to the season. United are virtually certain to be without their first-choice defence. Spurs are virtually certain to be without their first-choice midfield. Typically, both have more flaws than usual.

And that feels like it makes a genuinely 50-50 game all the more unpredictable. It's not just how both managers respond to their absences, but how their responses interact with each other.

It’s hard not to feel more focus falls on Postecoglou there, and not just because he is almost certain to leave Spurs at the end of the season. He has already beaten United three times in three different circumstances this season, but also complemented that by being much more willing than Amorim to drastically change his approach in Europe. It has been a striking, and almost surprising, feature of the season.

So, will Postecoglou do the same again? Will he offer that specifically tailored game plan, or will it be a battle of ideologues that may well lead to chaos?

It’s hard not to think the various elements will make this like the 4-3 Carabao Cup game in December rather than any of their other meetings. While that would usually lead to Spurs looking like favourites, fixtures like this can do funny things.

One-country European ties are generally strange enough. One-country finals are even stranger. They can be easily skewed, the atmosphere of the game taking over.

There are then those winning cultures. This might seem intangible esoteric stuff, but the tangible element is how it can influence the psychology of players, and their application.

United players can just see themselves winning. Spurs players are dreaming of it.

That’s why, emotionally, it would mean far more to Tottenham. Financially, or at least in terms of what next, it would mean much more to United.

But is this one other extreme to be skewed by this season, in the same way we have seen so many other droughts already ended this season.

Spurs are taking inspiration from that, and their own preparation going into this final. United are taking inspiration from their culture, and what they do.

All of this comes together at the brilliant San Mames stadium, before going in vastly different directions. It is going to be charged, for a night of extremes.

It is rare that a final arrives with such a sense of trepidation, but that is the case as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur fight for the Europa League trophy this week in Bilbao.

Both sides arrive in the Basque Country needing a win just as much for financial and squad-building reasons as they do for morale, and for Manchester United especially it is a stark illustration of how far the club has fallen since the days of regularly challenging for the top honours.

While fans navigate testing travel conditions to even arrive at the San Mames on Wednesday, United are preparing for a ninth major European final while sitting 16th in the league. But the current situation has become a fitting illustration of the decay that began 20 years ago this month, when two decades of neglect, mismanagement and contempt started as the Glazer family took control of the club.

It was in May 2005 that the Glazers purchased a controlling stake in the club, with fan protests having taken place at various points as a full takeover edged closer.

And the manner of the purchase of the club remains the root cause of fan discontent, with the Glazers using a leveraged buyout to finance the purchase. In short, United’s own assets were used as collateral for the loans used to purchase the club, suddenly saddling it with debts of at least £550m. It was the first time the club had been in the red since 1931.

“It was certainly very radical at the time, using the club’s assets to provide the funding,” says football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

“I don't think it was very well understood, the nature of the takeover,” says Wayne Barton, a United season ticket holder who in recent years has become the pre-eminent historian on the club, having written several books including biographies of George Best and Eric Cantona.

“There was definite doubt, definite caution, definite mistrust,” he says when asked about the general feeling at the time from a fan point of view. “There was never an overwhelming feeling that this was going to be a good thing for United”. And it wasn’t.

“Certainly, in those early years, when the interest rates were very high, 14.25 per cent on the loans, it was taking up a substantial proportion of the club's revenue,” says Maguire.

He reiterates that United have always “had competitive budgets since 2005”, but explains that “the debt has always been an emotional issue as much as anything else”, rather than something that notably affects spending in the present.

“It's symbolic in terms of the lack of progress,” he adds.

Barton is a little more animated, though he backs up that point when he provides a reminder that “any other club in England, if they were saddled with United’s debt, would have gone out of business”.

“The figures are there. If you took the money that's been drained out of United, including the original debt and the interest that's paid on it, if you put that on any other club in English football, they would have gone out of business.”

And the figures are indeed stark. United’s current debt stands at over £1bn overall, with the club having also paid £800m in interest alone since the takeover. In addition, the Glazers themselves have earned over £1bn from the club from share sales and dividends, according to The Athletic.

“They didn't want to invest, fair enough, no one has made them invest and they haven't done. They have never invested a single penny,” says Barton.

But in addition to the financial debt and the concept of the Glazers toying with the financial future of the club, it is the moral debt associated with the Glazers that is rarely mentioned when discussing fan sentiment.

In the 4-1 win over Bilbao in the semi-final second leg earlier this month, fans seated in the rows immediately in front of Sir Jim Ratcliffe stood up to protest being forced out of seats they have held for decades, with the area set to be used as hospitality seating from next season.

It is an issue affecting few fans overall, but it is emblematic of the collapse that has characterised the Glazer ownership – the erosion of the fan experience, and the decay of the relationship between the club and the fans.

While the Glazers revolutionised the process of maximising revenue streams, they have also been pioneers in the slow destruction of the average fan experience.

And this is an issue that is starting to happen everywhere. Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is allegedly involved as a director of a ticket re-sale website that had tickets for last weekend’s match against Manchester United available for £442. Manchester City have brought in a new policy that all season ticket holders must personally attend 10 of the 19 home Premier League matches next season, losing their ticket the next season if they fail to do so. Aston Villa came under fire for ridiculous Champions League ticket prices earlier this season.

It all points to something slightly more sinister, as the ‘legacy fans’ mentioned in the doomed Super League plans are priced out and moved on.

These issues often stem from the simple misunderstanding of clubs, with Barton emphasising that they are “still community assets” with “a romantic element” associated with them.

And it is in this romantic element where the Glazers have repeatedly fallen over. For United fans, it is not so much the concept of billionaire owners that irks them, but rather the perceived disregard for many of the intangibles that made the club what it is today.

“The accusation would be that they [the Glazers] don't respect the history,” says Barton.

“The people who represented an old Manchester United from the late 1980s saw themselves as custodians of what came before. What the club was supposed to stand for, what it was supposed to represent,” he adds, emphasising the roles of Ferguson and former chairman Martin Edwards.

Since Ferguson retired, there has been little in the form of figures to continue acting as these custodians.

The scenes of Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday were a timely reminder of the types of things a football club is supposed to represent, from the fans and the community to shared experiences – whether that be weekly routines or once-in-a-lifetime moments.

But for United fans, those scenes will be a reminder that a club that was once just like Palace in terms of values has become a corporate machine, and one that often shows disdain towards its fans, its history and the community that it is supposed to represent.

For the higher-ups in the current iteration of Manchester United look at Saturday’s events hoping to replicate them only because of revenue. They care little if you have 20 years’ worth of memories watching the club every week with a relative who has now passed. Nor do they care if you or your friends are being priced out of going to games or taking your children.

And so Wednesday night serves as both a consolation and a reminder – as seen by Palace, Newcastle and Bologna in recent weeks – that United fans should heed. Win or lose, football is about these kinds of nights, whether this is a first trophy or a 50th, and whatever the state of the club may look like off the pitch.

Wednesday’s game wields two types of importance, one of them discussed in terms of balance sheets in the boardroom. But the other is unquantifiable, contained in the lived experiences of those on the terraces of the San Mames or the pubs of Stretford and Seven Sisters.

It is this type of experience that forms the foundation of why people follow their clubs, whether they’ve lived it dozens of times, experienced it only for the first time last week, or still attend every week in the hope of it one day happening.

For United fans, experiences like Wednesday, or the 5-4 quarter-final win over Lyon, are all “part of the fairytale, part of the romance”, explains Barton.

While the Glazers may be able to effectively take away your season ticket through price rises or restrictions, they cannot take away the individual experiences.

“Everything is attached to that DNA of the club,” adds Barton.

“And they can never own that”.

While some rival executives have literally been laughing at this “shambolic” Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, elements of it are by their own design.

The two English sides might have found it much more difficult to get to Bilbao had Juventus and Manchester City dropped down from the Champions League in the way those outside the top 16 used to, but this was one of the subjects discussed in the major negotiations between 2019 and 2021 that ultimately led to the Super League crisis.

The wealthiest clubs wanted more guarantees about qualifying for the Champions League, especially if they endured crisis seasons like United and Spurs have. Insiders insist that one reason they consequently removed the drop into the Europa League was specifically to give such clubs a clearer route back to the top.

This is now precisely what’s happening, in the first season after the changes. In other words, this is the biggest safety net possible. “It was an insurance policy,” as one prominent source puts it. “They’ve considerably weakened the Europa League.”

It is consequently not an exaggeration to describe this as perhaps the most desperate final in European history. The numbers illustrate it.

There has never been any final, in any of Uefa’s competitions, where both clubs have been so low in their domestic leagues. There’s never even been one when a club has been just above the relegation zone, like Spurs now. West Ham United were 18th when reaching the 1975-76 Cup Winners Cup final but that was in a 24-team league. The image now is even worse in how both finalists sit there, in 16th and 17th in the Premier League. Peering down at the Championship but somehow looking at the Champions League.

It’s certainly a far cry from the 1975-76 Uefa Cup final, when English champions Liverpool faced Belgian champions Brugge, a year before they met again in the European Cup final.

And yet it somehow feels even further from just last year. After that Europa League final in Dublin, when Atalanta beat Bayern Leverkusen in a grand meeting of overachievers who greatly valued the competition, Gian Piero Gasperini stirred emotions with the following.

"Winning with Atalanta is one of those footballing fairytales that rarely crop up. It gives scope for meritocracy: there is still scope for ideas and it doesn't have to come down to cold, hard money.”

This final is the total opposite.

United and Spurs have really only got here because of cold, hard money. They've been facing oppositions with mere fractions of their wage bills. Bodo/Glimt’s was estimated to be less than 1 per cent of Spurs’. Even Athletic's was around 20 per cent of United’s.

Worse than the money the two English clubs spend now is how much they've spent over the last half-decade, to even get to this point, where they somehow need even more money to try and get back to the top. We are talking about billions in Premier League revenue, even in that short a time.

As has been said on these pages before, their respective positions at fourth and ninth on the Deloitte money list mean it shouldn't actually be possible for both United and Spurs to be this bad. They might have switched off in the league, but the lights shouldn't be out altogether. In a world where there is a 90 per cent correlation between wage bill and league position, they are not just the 10% who represent aberrations but the 0.1 per cent almost representing reverse alchemy.

That sheer waste has now created this desperation, that frames this entire game. It actually looks the total opposite of what continental football should be about, let alone to Gasperini’s thoughts about “meritocracy”.

Such talk also brings another dimension, that represents a more troubling development in football. It is the extent of the game’s “financialisation”. So much is now put in terms of money; what it might mean for what next rather than just the moment. That’s exactly why Crystal Palace's FA Cup victory felt so joyfully pure.

It shouldn’t be overlooked that Spurs would value this Europa League in a comparable way, especially given all the frustration at how they haven’t won anything since 2008. Manchester United fans naturally relish the glory of still consistently winning trophies despite their trouble, and it would clearly be psychologically important for Ruben Amorim’s era. As long as it might last.

United have still won this competition as recently as 2017, though, and the dysfunction since means this is really all about the resources. It similarly can’t be overlooked that Spurs are a club where the message about Champions League finances was so deep that former manager Mauricio Pochettino became strikingly open about how he was greatly prioritising the Premier League over any cups.

Such priorities have only been deepened in the PSR era. So much of this still comes down to the potential £100m from Champions League qualification. The latter was of course only included because Uefa needed to make the competition more attractive for the most commercially powerful clubs. The grand old Uefa Cup trophy apparently wasn't enough any more.

Chris Hughton, who was the right-back for Spurs’ last Uefa Cup win in 1983-84, can’t help but remark on the difference.

“Back then, there wasn’t even a thought about money. There would have been bonuses, sure, but it was solely about the glory of it; of winning a European trophy.”

The financial gaps of the time were too small. Now, they’re immense, to the point the Europa League final is arguably the most pronounced illustration of this “financalisation” of the sport. It has probably gone beyond the Championship play-off as “the richest game in football", given the gaps in England, as well as the importance attached to the Champions League.

It is football as financial instrument, to the point that clubs now decide not to buy in January because they are looking at things in terms of differences in potential prize money rather than season ambition.

There is likely even further effect on the actual play.

Throughout this season, United’s run has seemed to show how European atmospheres can still cause teams to emotionally raise it in vintage fashion. But has that actually happened? Is it possible that United and Spurs have just played a series of clubs well below Premier League level, as illustrated in the wage gaps?

Bruno Fernandes recently revealed that Amorim expressed surprise at how competitive Ipswich Town were in his first game. The Europa League may have been well below that.

Many in Europe will respond to that by pointing to how there are again no English side in the Champions League final, but that is a competition that features most of the super clubs. Many of them utterly dominate their domestic leagues. That is just this same problem extended.

Instead, the Europa League might well display deeper strength. That is a problem for Uefa, especially with how many English clubs are going to be in Europe next season.

It may also be profoundly influential for the Premier League. This match could represent a sliding doors moment. If United win, the income could help propel them back towards the top, after so much waste. If they don’t, there could be ructions.

There are such immense stakes. It also has a considerable irony. So much comes down to the unpredictability of one football match, and that is entirely by design.

It is the eve of Tottenham Hotspur’s biggest game in six years, and one of the biggest in their history, but you wouldn’t have necessarily thought that from the discussion that dominated the pre-match duties. One scene immediately attracted everyone's attention. There was tension and consequently some theatre.

It lamentably had nothing to do with the actual football, although it has an awful lot to do with one of the stories framing this final: Ange Postecoglou's future and his general approach.

The Spurs manager chose the stage to upbraid a journalist over the use of the word “clown" in an article.

The exact wording was: “Postecoglou is therefore in a strange position, teetering between hero and clown.” It was some way down the article, although admittedly blown up by the headline.

Postecoglou’s response, for posterity, was the following:

“Irrespective of tomorrow, I'm not a clown and never will be.

“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 a position where he is leading out a club in a European final.

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

Now the point of this piece - in what feels quite a meta moment - isn't to legislate a colleague's writing. These pages wouldn't have used "clown" like that, although that is beside the point.

Media will doubtless get accused of closed ranks, but it is admittedly difficult to discuss those who work alongside you because your view is compromised and - crucially - it's not our job. The job is to discuss the football.

Postecoglou has made a media issue relevant to that.

At the very least, it just seems misguided to make a game of such scale about something so petty. None of that is to say Postecoglou shouldn't take umbrage with the description. He’s absolutely entitled to do that.

But if he wants to, why not do it separately, rather than on a stage that should be about much grander elements?

It's obvious it's going to be picked up on. Even as football journalists, no one from outside the industry was messaging us asking about Postecoglou’s team news quotes, or even those about his own future.

They wanted to know about the moment of tension. Audiences are virtually certain to be much more interested in articles about this than any of the other quotes.

That seems so unnecessary, when this entire occasion should be about something much more.

And there is a genuine football point, or at least a point related to the trajectory and status of managers.

An instructive story is occasionally told about one of Postecoglou's most prominent predecessors. When Jose Mourinho was at the top of his game, which lasted close to a decade, he didn't care what anyone said about him. His record spoke for itself.

When his performance level started to decline, according to those who worked closely with him, he began to read absolutely everything.

In other words, the best managers just concentrate on the job. Everything else will take care of itself. It is mental energy they shouldn’t need to bother with.

It might feel like a two-way element here in how media can criticise them but they can't say anything back, but it’s not about that. It’s more about why would they even bother to say anything back?

They can have a media strategy to try and shape their own narrative, sure, but they shouldn't actually care about what the media say. Some spend enough time telling us we don't have a clue, or bristle at tactical questions.

Worse, many decision-making executives often see this as a sign of a manager’s loss of focus. It is understood to be one of the reasons why Chelsea ultimately acted on Frank Lampard in January 2021.

There is also an extra element with Postecoglou.

He has often given the impression that he is above the Premier League’s various absurdities, usually in quite an amusing - and initially endearing - manner. Following on from that is at least the projection that he doesn’t care what the media write.

And yet here he is, clearly reading an awful lot, in a way that just doesn't feel like it serves the club.

People might say it feels like "siege mentality”. But it doesn’t feel that grand.

It also feeds into another general football truth.

You can say whatever you want when you win. Those who win generally don't care what is said.

And this plays into the bind that Postecoglou finds himself in, where it is almost extreme to extreme.

If he loses, it's hard not to see the coverage, and the potential memes. He has invited mock-ups about clowns. The very line is reminiscent of David Brent saying “I'm not a plonker”.

If he wins, he can go on the mother of all victory laps.

Except, it is seen as virtually certain that he will lose his job because Spurs haven't displayed the same performance in the Premier League.

As Postecoglou indicated himself, a final like this should be about much more.

It is the eve of Tottenham Hotspur’s biggest game in six years, and one of the biggest in their history, but you wouldn’t have necessarily thought that from the discussion that dominated the pre-match duties. One scene immediately attracted everyone's attention. There was tension and consequently some theatre.

It lamentably had nothing to do with the actual football, although it has an awful lot to do with one of the stories framing this final: Ange Postecoglou's future and his general approach.

The Spurs manager chose the stage to upbraid a journalist over the use of the word “clown" in an article.

The exact wording was: “Postecoglou is therefore in a strange position, teetering between hero and clown.” It was some way down the article, although admittedly blown up by the headline.

Postecoglou’s response, for posterity, was the following:

“Irrespective of tomorrow, I'm not a clown and never will be.

“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 a position where he is leading out a club in a European final.

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

Now the point of this piece - in what feels quite a meta moment - isn't to legislate a colleague's writing. These pages wouldn't have used "clown" like that, although that is beside the point.

Media will doubtless get accused of closed ranks, but it is admittedly difficult to discuss those who work alongside you because your view is compromised and - crucially - it's not our job. The job is to discuss the football.

Postecoglou has made a media issue relevant to that.

At the very least, it just seems misguided to make a game of such scale about something so petty. None of that is to say Postecoglou shouldn't take umbrage with the description. He’s absolutely entitled to do that.

But if he wants to, why not do it separately, rather than on a stage that should be about much grander elements?

It's obvious it's going to be picked up on. Even as football journalists, no one from outside the industry was messaging us asking about Postecoglou’s team news quotes, or even those about his own future.

They wanted to know about the moment of tension. Audiences are virtually certain to be much more interested in articles about this than any of the other quotes.

That seems so unnecessary, when this entire occasion should be about something much more.

And there is a genuine football point, or at least a point related to the trajectory and status of managers.

An instructive story is occasionally told about one of Postecoglou's most prominent predecessors. When Jose Mourinho was at the top of his game, which lasted close to a decade, he didn't care what anyone said about him. His record spoke for itself.

When his performance level started to decline, according to those who worked closely with him, he began to read absolutely everything.

In other words, the best managers just concentrate on the job. Everything else will take care of itself. It is mental energy they shouldn’t need to bother with.

It might feel like a two-way element here in how media can criticise them but they can't say anything back, but it’s not about that. It’s more about why would they even bother to say anything back?

They can have a media strategy to try and shape their own narrative, sure, but they shouldn't actually care about what the media say. Some spend enough time telling us we don't have a clue, or bristle at tactical questions.

Worse, many decision-making executives often see this as a sign of a manager’s loss of focus. It is understood to be one of the reasons why Chelsea ultimately acted on Frank Lampard in January 2021.

There is also an extra element with Postecoglou.

He has often given the impression that he is above the Premier League’s various absurdities, usually in quite an amusing - and initially endearing - manner. Following on from that is at least the projection that he doesn’t care what the media write.

And yet here he is, clearly reading an awful lot, in a way that just doesn't feel like it serves the club.

People might say it feels like "siege mentality”. But it doesn’t feel that grand.

It also feeds into another general football truth.

You can say whatever you want when you win. Those who win generally don't care what is said.

And this plays into the bind that Postecoglou finds himself in, where it is almost extreme to extreme.

If he loses, it's hard not to see the coverage, and the potential memes. He has invited mock-ups about clowns. The very line is reminiscent of David Brent saying “I'm not a plonker”.

If he wins, he can go on the mother of all victory laps.

Except, it is seen as virtually certain that he will lose his job because Spurs haven't displayed the same performance in the Premier League.

As Postecoglou indicated himself, a final like this should be about much more.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United face off in one of the most highly-anticipated cup finals in modern history with the Europa League on the line Wednesday night in Bilbao.

Spurs and United have lost a combined 39 matches in the Premier League, with Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim under intense pressure to inspire change heading into next season and deliver on the big stage in a ‘shambolic’ final built by Uefa’s design.

With up to 80,000 fans travelling to the Basque Country and encountering a ‘scandalous’ travel situation, history will be made at the San Mames, with a trophy somewhat easing all of the painful months to get to this point.

TNT Sports has confirmed a huge change to its coverage by making the three major men’s European finals available to watch for free, including the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. The match is now available to watch for free, here’s how you can take advantage:

The Europa League final is on 21 May at San Mames, Bilbao, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm BST.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1 or TNT Sports Ultimate with coverage beginning at 6pm BST, though you will need a subscription for TNT Sports. Subscribers via Discovery+ Premium, EE, Sky or Virgin Media TV can also take in all the build-up and in-game coverage. But there is a live stream online made available for free through the Discovery+ app.

Subscribers will also have access to the match but those without a subscription can download the app and register their details without signing up for a subscription.

Prime Video customers with the basic Discovery+ account will be able to watch the Uefa finals on the Prime Video app.

But viewers without Discovery+ just need to download the app, register their details online, and enjoy the games for free. No subscriptions are required.

For the Europa League final, expert analysis comes from Bale, Ferdinand, Scholes and Glenn Hoddle while Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist are on commentary duties.

Michail Antonio, Joe Cole and Steve Sidwell are in the studio for Chelsea’s attempt to win the Conference League with commentary provided by Adam Summerton and Lucy Ward.

Finally in the Champions League, Ferdinand is joined by Karen Carney and Owen Hargreaves to provide punditry while Fletcher and McCoist return on comms.

The sheer volume of English media commitments is one of the many things that has caught Ruben Amorim completely by surprise since taking over at Manchester United.

He has taken his increased workload in good spirits, but his reluctance to fulfil interview after interview, press conference after press conference, is certainly rather palpable.

The answers, like many managers at modern day elite clubs, are worn out by the multitude of TV, radio and written press obligations after matches, leaving signs of weariness.

That is with one exception: When the Portuguese is speaking glowingly about a certain English midfielder, who could make his biggest impression yet as a United player as a forward.

“I really love Mason Mount," Amorim began an impassioned March eulogy, even though, at this point, Mount had started one game under his tutelage. "Because I see him, I know how he suffers and I know he does everything right.

“He eats right, his physical aspect is perfect and he’s trying too much. Maybe he’s thinking too much about everything. He was a European champion.

“He’s a really talented player. And when the player does everything like he does, he will always have the support of everybody here in the club”.

To watch Amorim get so animated about an injury-plagued Mount tells you everything you need to know about what he has seen away from the cameras.

Amorim has not been afraid to call out those not willing to put the work in. He insisted he would rather put his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach on the bench over Marcus Rashford, has withdrawn Alejandro Garnacho from a Manchester derby squad over application issues, all while consistently labelling his current misfiring squad the worst-ever Manchester United team. Or worse.

Mount is often subject to unfair criticism from supporters, frustrated that yet another big-money player has failed to make an impact at Old Trafford.

Last season, even when fit, Mount was the squarest of pegs in a sea of round holes in Erik ten Hag’s system. Despite the Dutchman being the one to bring the then Chelsea midfielder to Manchester, Mount simply had no home in that rigid system, which struggled to accommodate another midfielder in the shape of Bruno Fernandes.

It is a different story now, though, hence the new coach’s penchant for a slice of Mount. As a No. 10 with license to drift wide or inside, Mount can operate in the pockets of space his playing style thrives in, just as he did when forging a burgeoning reputation at Stamford Bridge.

“It has not been easy," Mount said of his injury woes since joining United in 2023 this week. "But I've stayed very focused and always had the end goal in my mind, always felt it would come good, that something will happen and I'll get a moment.

“I have had many days at Carrington sitting on the treatment bed, when I want to be training. I have been in the stands watching games when I wanted to be playing.

"But that was the circumstances. I gave everything to continue my rehab to try and get back. I have learned a lot from these moments. You really appreciate it more."

Given he is such a likable figure, team-mates readily rally round to offer support upon the latest injury setback, making what has happened to him over the past few seasons so difficult to witness.

In anything but a packed field, his three recent goals since making his long-awaited return from injury represent his best form in a United shirt. The 26-year-old’s performance when coming off the bench to rescue United in the semi-final second leg victory over Athletic Bilbao, with Mount’s two sensational finishes belying his lack of game time, alone should earn him a starting spot against Tottenham.

It may take something of a Pep Guardiola madcap last-minute epiphany, but Rasmus Hojlund’s race is run this season, and needs taking out the firing line. Whether Mount, Amad Diallo or Alejandro Garnacho are deployed as a False 9 is no easy decision, but either of those options would provide substantially more threat than a striker who seems to have let a miserable campaign get the better of him.

Whatever the role, nobody would deserve to line up in this season-defining encounter in the Bay of Biscay than Mount.

His smile after that 45-yard game clincher against Bilbao was brimming with emotion. He still wants this, which is more than can be said for many others around him.

Time for the manager to let everyone else in on what makes Mount so appealing.

Anyone who has watched Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this season might well be surprised at their camp this week. Many there have total belief they are going to win the Europa League. The group is calm, but focused. The extent of the conviction might seem unusual given recent performances, but there are rational reasons. One is their very Europa League run, as well as three wins from three against Manchester United this season. There is also the conviction of Ange Postecoglou himself, who many players are rowing in behind. “I think he proved all you guys wrong,” Micky van de Ven says.

It’s where statements like "I always win things in my second year”, as Postecoglou has insisted, can start to become so persuasive. One other factor emboldening Spurs is this season’s stirring trend of trophy droughts ending. There has already been Newcastle United, Bologna, Crystal Palace and even Tottenham’s own Harry Kane at Bayern Munich. That feeling can be contagious. Many within Spurs saw what happened at Wembley on Saturday and wondered "what if”…

An alternative view is that it would be vintage Spurs to actually defy all of this and end up losing, as they go for their own first trophy since 2008.

It could also be vintage Spurs in another way. The belief that they will win is only surpassed by conviction about something else. That is Postecoglou is leaving, even if he wins.

Should that departure happen after delivering major silverware, it would only follow the precedents of their last trophy-winning managers. Both 2008 League Cup winner Juande Ramos and 1999 League Cup winner George Graham were sacked shortly afterwards. Despite successes that are now historic for the club due to their very rarity, neither coach has much legacy at the club. That maybe says a bit.

It’s like it couldn't even be a Spurs win without some dysfunction. Fans naturally wouldn't care so long as they just win that trophy, and they would celebrate it like Palace did. Postecoglou may not be too bothered, either. There is a growing suspicion he could just resign, especially after stating “I usually move on the back of success”.

There’s still a more relevant disconnect, which is the real reason that Postecoglou is seen as unlikely to stay. The way Spurs have reached the Europa League final isn’t viewed as conducive to sustainable progress. And the person who most made this argument? Postecoglou himself, in his first weeks in the job.

“It is not a desperation around just winning something, because I don't think that gets you the sustainable opportunity to be successful,” the Australian said in September 2023. “The root of it is to play a certain way, which brings success.

“I am here because I want to give this club a chance to win trophies on a yearly basis. That's different. Winning the Carabao Cup and finishing 10th is not what this club should be about.” Instead, it might be 17th and the Europa League… but, ultimately, without that “play in a certain way”.

Postecoglou was clearly brought in for the right reasons. He was a coach whose career was on an upward trajectory, where his progressive football seemed perfect for a Tottenham finally trying to build something bigger. There was too long a period when they made reactive “big club appointments”, that didn’t fit what they were. Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte duly displayed extreme pragmatism, that didn’t work.

Except, for the most part, Postecoglou’s football hasn't worked either. Spurs really should have qualified for the Champions League last season, given they had no European football when Aston Villa did. Form has never been anywhere near as good as those angelic first 10 games. Now, Postecoglou’s football has collapsed along with the Premier League campaign.

There are admittedly numerous reasons for that, but it's also why Spurs’ Europa League run has been so interesting. It is a typical Tottenham irony that Postecoglou has got this far by repeating the approaches of his predecessors.

Rather than adhering to an ideology, he has consistently come up with approaches that suit individual games. It is old-fashioned cup football.

You couldn't have a better illustration than the last round. Tottenham should have had more than enough quality to defeat a side with 1% of their wage bill, like Bodo/Glimt. The semi-final was still fraught with danger, especially with the Norwegian club’s clever approach and Spurs’ injuries in midfield.

Postecoglou consequently eliminated risk. Midfield was bypassed, and Bodo were bludgeoned through long balls up to Dominic Solanke or Richarlison.

That approach actually has a highly relevant parallel. It was practiced by one of Spurs’ most pragmatic recent managers, when he was at Manchester United, in their last Europa League final victory.

Mourinho’s United should have had more than enough quality for a young Ajax in 2017, but he similarly eliminated risk. As the Portuguese explained in a university lecture actually attended by Ruben Amorim, Ajax were allowed 69% of possession, albeit with Matthijs de Ligt pressed rather than Davinson Sanchez. United then bludgeoned them with long balls to Marouane Fellaini.

The Europa League was won. There may be foreshadowing for Wednesday.

Some around Spurs do argue that Postecoglou has gone against his own principles. They are the same people who say he operates like “a CEO” in how he delegates responsibilities, rather than as the hands-on coach that modern ideologues tend to be. There was at one point a sense of Europa League hopes dragging the team through the season, in a competition where Spurs are far wealthier than most.

Others would say that's unfair, especially given criticism that Postecoglou has received for “naive” domestic performances. He has displayed a canniness many accused him of lacking. The quarter-final approach against a good Eintracht Frankfurt was a masterclass. Van de Ven shows he has his backers.

None of this is to say either view is right or wrong, but it is all relevant to how a final that is almost a referendum actually ends.

Spurs’ three victories over United this season did primarily come through Postecoglou’s ideology, but it feels misguided to place too much stock in that given the high variability. The first, a 3-0 in the league, was against Erik ten Hag. The second, a 4-3 in the Carabao Cup, was a blow-for-blow free-for-all that this final may end up like. The third, a dismal 1-0, felt more reflective of both sides’ league positions.

Postecoglou’s choice of tactics may actually be limited by his lack of choice in midfield. Spurs’ never-ending injury crisis has led to the loss of Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. It would almost be fitting if the major theme of Postecoglou's time, fitness, has the final say.

Spurs could play his way and lose because they don't have that midfield, or the lack of that midfield may just cause them to lose full-stop. Alternatively, could injuries lead Postecoglou to a cannier approach more in-keeping with this Europa League run? They do have the pace United are most vulnerable to, and there are other ways to maximise that.

Postecoglou still has a lot to think about, amid so much emotion. Above all, there is one truth in all this.

Nothing is as sustainable as the memory of glory.

Liveupdated

Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao with both clubs hoping to salvage some pride after disappointing campaigns.

After a harrowing experience in the Premier League for both clubs with a combined 39 defeats leaving them 16th and 17th in the table, as both sets of supporters bid to overcome limited travel options to watch the game in the Basque Country.

Ange Postecoglou boldly claimed he “always wins” a trophy in his second year in charge of clubs, while the Red Devils are unbeaten in Europe and have enjoyed a thrilling ride throughout the knockout stages. After victory over Ajax to win this competition in 2017, United fell to Villarreal on penalties in the 2021 final.

And United have not beaten Spurs in their last six matches, with three successive losses, but Ruben Amorim’s side can boost hopes of a successful summer transfer window with victory here.

Follow all the latest team news and updates from chief football writer Miguel Delaney in Bilbao, with both managers and players set to speak ahead of Wednesday’s game:

Will Diogo Dalot be fit for the final?

Manchester United have plenty of injury concerns and a big one if the fitness of versatile full-back Diogo Dalot.

Dalot has been absent from the most recent block of games with a calf injury obtained on Easter Sunday.

United head coach Ruben Amorim refused to rule Dalot out for the remainder of the season and on Wednesday last week, the defender was spotted doing an individual training session at Carrington before the main group session took place.

Amorim said: "Dalot is trying really bad. I don't want to risk Dalot, when you start getting one injury, a second injury is a big thing. We cannot have these kind of problems in our squad. He's working really hard to get in the final."

Mike Jones20 May 2025 11:00

Football fans face paying thousands of pounds for Europa League final trips

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur supporters booking last-minute trips to the Europa League final are being charged thousands of pounds.

Direct return flights from the UK to Bilbao in northern Spain cost from more than £1,000, hotel rooms are at least £1,200, while match tickets are available on resale websites from about £500.

The final kicks off at 9pm local time (8pm BST) on Wednesday.

Football fans face paying thousands of pounds for Europa League final trips

Direct return flights from the UK to Bilbao in northern Spain cost from more than £1,000, while hotel rooms are at least £1,200.

Mike Jones20 May 2025 10:50

Spurs feeling confident

“The truth is we have very good feelings. Ignoring the Premier League, we are feeling good, the job the team has done in Europe has been enormous and I think we feel we’re in a good place. Those feelings have to carry over to the day of the final now,” Pedro Porro explained.

“It would be a dream because as we already know when I arrived here, we knew it had been a long time since we had won a trophy here.

“So, it would be very, very important for us and for me personally it would be a story of faith. Something I dreamt of ever since I was little. It’s my first European final and everyone in the world would have motivation for that.”

Mike Jones20 May 2025 10:40

'Every game is different'

Pedro Porro doesn’t think Tottenham’s poor league for or the fact they have already beaten Man Utd this season will have any bearing on the outcome of tomorrow’s match.

“Let’s see, every game has a world of its own, right? Playing in a final is very different from playing a league game because it involves a lot of factors,” he said.

“Football is a world of its own and I think we are focused on that point. We know every game is different, especially a final where anything can happen.

“I don’t think they’ve lost in the Europa League. They’re a very good team, with a very good coach no?

“In the end they haven’t had the luck in the Premier League, it’s like us isn’t it? But we’re two teams that know how to deliver and it’s going to be a very beautiful final. I hope we’re the happy ones at the end.”

Mike Jones20 May 2025 10:30

Porro praises Amorim

Tottenham full-back Pedro Porro admits Manchester United’s “magnificent coach” Ruben Amorim helped his football explode at Sporting Lisbon.

“When I arrived (at Sporting), it was a little bit difficult for me but like everything in football, sometimes it’s hard at first right? Things in life don’t always go the way you want them to but when I got there, the truth is I had a lot of help from him,” Porro explained.

“And at that moment, my football exploded. To be honest I’m really grateful to him for that.

“I worked with him for three years and he’s a magnificent coach. I know him very well. It’s the way he treats the players.

“He always spoke to me as a person, it’s not just how he treated me from a football perspective. The way he works on the pitch is also very good but in this case, I hope I’m the happy one.”

Mike Jones20 May 2025 10:20

The farcical and fragile moments behind Manchester United’s lucky Europa League run

One of the largest clubs in the world has reached the Europa League final. Furnished with one of the biggest budgets in the game, in a year when their transfer outlay exceeded £230m, they arguably started the Europa League as favourites, finished third in the group stage, and are the only unbeaten side in all three European competitions.

It makes it sound simple. Manchester United being Manchester United, it has not been. But, they have flirted with ignominy time and again and stand on the brink of triumph.

The farcical and fragile moments behind Man United’s lucky Europa League run

They can argue they earned their luck with indefatigability, moments of inspiration, and individuals delivering in improbable ways

Richard Jolly20 May 2025 10:10

Manchester United's route to the final

On paper a tough tie but in reality the easiest battle in the knockout rounds for Man Utd.

Semi-finals: Athletic Bilbao – 3-0 (a); 4-1 (h); 7-1 on aggregate

The Premier League side sealed their place in the final by overcoming Bilbao, whose San Mames stadium was stunned as Ruben Amorim oversaw a famous away win.

Athletic flew out the blocks in the first leg but imploded after Casemiro put United ahead in the 30th minute, with Bruno Fernandes keeping his cool to score from the spot after Dani Vivian saw red for bringing down Rasmus Hojlund.

The nerveless captain added another before the break to complete a 3-0 victory for the Red Devils, who bounced back from Mikel Jaureguizar’s brilliant opener in the reverse fixture.

Substitute Mason Mount settled nerves through his fantastic turn and finish, with Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund scoring before the United midfielder scored a stunner from distance.

Mike Jones20 May 2025 09:58

Manchester United's route to the final

Another tricky tie for the Red Devils was made worse by the loose lips of Andre Onana in the build up as he fought a war of words with Lyon midfielder (and former Man Utd player) Nemanja Matic before the first leg.

Quarter-finals: Lyon – 2-2 (a); 5-4 (AET) (h); 7-6 on aggregate after extra-time

Andre Onana endured a nightmare first leg in France, where his barny with Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic was followed by him all-too easily allowing in a Thiago Almada free-kick.

Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee put United ahead, but the under-fire goalkeeper parried the ball into the path of Rayan Cherki to level in stoppage-time.

A scarcely-believable second leg followed at Old Trafford. Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot first-half efforts had United in control, only for the visitors to score four without reply.

Corentin Tolisso and Nicolas Tagliafico goals in quick succession took the match to extra-time, when Lyon kicked on despite Tolisso’s sending off for two bookable offences as Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette rocked the home side.

But Ruben Amorim’s men dug deep as a Bruno Fernandes penalty was followed by Kobbie Mainoo’s excellent 120th-minute leveller and Harry Maguire’s match-winning header moments later.

Mike Jones20 May 2025 09:51

Manchester United's route to the final

Following United’s unbeaten run through the group stages Ruben Amorim’s men where given a tough tough against Spanish side Real Sociedad in the round of 16.

Last 16: Real Sociedad – 1-1 (a); 4-1 (h); 5-2 on aggregate

Absentee-hit United failed to turn a positive performance into victory in San Sebastian, where Joshua Zirkzee put the visitors into a deserved lead only for Mikel Oyarzabal to level from the spot with the hosts’ first shot on target.

The VAR spotted a handball from Bruno Fernandes, whose second-leg hat-trick inspired an eye-catching comeback win against 10-man Real Sociedad.

Oyarzabal’s second penalty of the tie had given United a scare, before the captain’s treble and a Diogo Dalot effort in the second leg sent them through with ease.

Mike Jones20 May 2025 09:44

Manchester United's route to the final

Despite suffering one of their worst ever seasons in the English top-flight, Manchester United have been incredible in Europe this season.

They are yet to lose a game and if they are successful against Tottenham in the final it will prove to be one of the best European campaigns in recent history.

But will they prove to be worthy Europa League champions?

Here’s a look at how they reached the final in Bilbao:

Group stage: Man Utd – third of 36 teams, 18pts

United made an inauspicious start to the new-look group phase under Erik ten Hag, whose former club Twente secured a shock 1-1 Old Trafford draw in September.

Harry Maguire’s late goal saw the 10-man Red Devils record a 3-3 draw at Porto the following month, before Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce held them to a 1-1 stalemate in Turkey.

After Ten Hag was sacked, interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw the end of United’s 380-day wait for a European win by beating PAOK 2-0 at Old Trafford, where Ruben Amorim took charge for the first time in the hard-fought 3-2 triumph against eventual semi-finalists Bodo/Glimt.

United followed that up with 2-1 wins away to Viktoria Plzen and at home to Rangers, before rounding things off with a 2-0 victory over FCSB in Romania as they avoided the knockout phase play-offs.

Mike Jones20 May 2025 09:37

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