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Tottenham take on Man United in Wednesday's Europa League final in Bilbao

Ange Postecoglou tears into journalist who said defeat would make him a 'clown'

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Ange Postecoglou turned his ire on a reporter during a tetchy press conference ahead of Tottenham's Europa League final against Man United.

The two struggling Premier League sides will go face to face in Bilbao on Wednesday night knowing that victory would not only see them lift silverware but also grant them a place in next season's Champions League.

It is a prize which would go a long way towards rescuing what has been a miserable campaign for both clubs. Man United are enduring their worst ever Premier League season and sit 16th in the table with 18 defeats. And Spurs' domestic form has been even worse — they have lost three more matches and are a point below their rivals in 17th.

That has led to speculation that Postecoglou could face the axe as Tottenham manager with reports this week claiming that the club were lining up Ajax boss Francesco Farioli as a potential replacement.

Delivering Tottenham's first piece of silverware for 17 years — the 2008 League Cup — could prove the difference between tragedy and triumph for the Australian in his second season at the club.

But when asked by Dan Kilpatrick of The Standard whether he is 'walking a fine line' between a successful and disastrous campaign, Postecoglou couldn't hide his anger.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Standard journalist had claimed in his column that defeat against Man United would make Postecoglou 'a clown' and the former Celtic boss did not take kindly to that suggestion.

'That depends on your outlook Dan," said Postecoglou.

'But I'll tell you one thing, irrespective of tomorrow, I'm not a clown. I never will be, mate.

'Really disappointed you used such terminology about a person who for 26 years, without any favours from anyone, has worked his way to be in a position where he's leading a club in a European major competition.

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

Postecoglou has spoken proudly of his record of always winning a trophy in his second season at a club.

He won the Australian title with both South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar and the Japanese league with Yokohama F. Marinos — all in his second season or second full season in charge.

Postecoglou also won the Asian Cup two years after becoming Australia boss — and the Scottish championship in both seasons with Celtic.

Even if he were to repeat the trick on Wednesday night, that may not be enough to save his job with Mail Sport reporting last month that the club's European fate would not be the determining factor in Postecoglou's future.

But the 59-year-old insisted he is losing no sleep over the speculation.

'My future is assured mate, don't... 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,' he said.

'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, wherever that is.

'So, don't worry about my future, mate. My future is not tied with anything, my future is assured.

'Provided, God willing, my health remains, my beautiful family is beside me, my friends, there's nothing wrong with my future mate.'

Patrice Evra has shared the heatbreaking reason why he will not be able to fly to Bilbao to watch Manchester United take on Tottenham in Wednesday's Europa League final.

Ruben Amorim's side will be looking to resurrect a stuttered season at San Mames after an impressive European campaign has kept them in touch for silverware.

The Red Devils will face off with their Premier League rivals under uncannily similar circumstances, with the clubs sitting 16th and 17th in the domestic standings with one game each left to play.

But the Manchester club could yet book a spot in next year's Champions League draw, and fans in their number are flocking to Basque region to watch the team take their chances.

However, Man United legend Evra will not be among them, with the former defender sharing his tragic reasoning on social media on Tuesday.

'Hi guys. I was supposed to come to Bilbao tomorrow for the final in person to show you support, sharing my positive energy,' the France international said in a video shared to Instagram.

'But unfortunately, I have to go to Paris for the funeral of my sister on the same day of the final.

'She was 56, fighting against the cancer for 20 years,' Evra, who is one of 23 siblings, added.

Alongside his touching statement - which was met with scores of condolences and well-wishes from his followers - Evra sent a rallying cry to Amorim and his players in lieu of his appearance at San Mames.

'Resilience, fighting. That's what I want from you guys tomorrow. Just fight, bleed for this shirt,' Evra continued.

'For the fans, for the staff, for the people in Manchester, for the fans all around the world, there is no excuse. This is your duty tomorrow.

'I think your coach is someone I support, someone I believe in. Even if we win or we lose, give something guys.

'It's gonna be a tough game. Tottenham also has a lot to lose. They are in the same position in the league like us.

'They didn't win a trophy, so this is a massive chance for them. But this is no excuse. We are Man United.

'Do you know how many fans gonna travel around the world and believe they're gonna celebrate after the game because they believe in you guys, no matter what.

'Because we can do it guys. So like I say, bleed for this shirt, the history. Think about the people, your family or whatever, there is no way other than to win.

'Don't be selfish. It's a qualification in the Champions League, so we can prepare for the future next year.

'So guys, you know, I will be far away. I'm counting on you.'

As well as Evra's call to arms, Man United were handed a major boost in the form of the return to training of three crucial stars.

Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, and Diogo Dalot were all involved in the final session on English soil before the team jetted to Bilbao on the eve of the final.

Disabled Manchester United and Tottenham fans have hit out at the 'insulting' number of wheelchair and accessible tickets available for their Europa League final clash.

A mere 26 wheelchair spaces and 15 'easy access' seats, which provide added room for those with mobility issues, are available out of either side's 15,000 allocation at Athletic Bilbao's 53,000 seater San Mames Stadium.

Wednesday's final provides United and Spurs with an opportunity to give supporters some cheer after enormously disappointing domestic campaigns, but disabled fans have been left bemused as their allocations falls significant of even UEFA's own guidelines.

UEFA recommends that a stadium of San Mames's capacity, which is being reduced to 49,600 for the final, should have 236 wheelchair spaces and 236 'amenity and easy access seats'.

Even at its usual capacity, it only holds 208 wheelchair and 102 easy access seats, meaning it does not comply with UEFA guidelines.

Each club should have been given 58 wheelchair spaces and 28 easy access seats with the final's capacity, according to disabled sports charity Level Playing Field.

Mark Spencer, a member of Spurs Ability, the fan group representing disabled supporters, said the allocation was 'insulting'.

'To say I'm gutted is an understatement, he told BBC Sport. 'I wasn't able to go to Madrid for the Champions League [final] in 2019 and I thought this might be my chance - but Uefa have just not given us the percentage of seating that they should be giving us under their own rules and regulations.

'You feel that you're being prevented from watching football and supporting your team because of a disability so it's quite insulting and very disappointing.

Manchester United Disabled Supporters' Association secretary, Rick Clement, said: 'To see that in 2025 we are still not receiving a fair allocation of accessible tickets, which fall short of UEFA's own guidelines, is extremely disappointing and reinforces the fact that disability is often an afterthought.'

SpursAbility co-chair, Rita Egan, said they were 'extremely disappointed' at the allocation.

'The numbers for both fanbases are wholly insufficient,' she said. 'There should at least have been a proportionate distribution of the spaces available at the stadium, in line with the general allocation.'

Tony Taylor, the Chair of Level Playing Field, accused UEFA of 'lacking accountability' and locking supports out of the final.

'Inadequate provisions are set to result in disproportionate exclusion, on a day when fanbases should be united for a celebration,' he said.

'Instead, we have seen another failure from UEFA at a showpiece event. Accountability has been lacking before and now we can see more disregard for disabled fans, which ignores the governing body's own guidance and underutilises the facilities available, without adequate justification.

'We know that there are additional barriers to European travel for many disabled fans. To then have further barriers put in place through ticketing and a lack of facilities, and be disproportionally locked out of occasions like this, is unacceptable.

'I feel for the disabled fans of both clubs who have supported their sides throughout this season and are set to miss out on what could be the highlight.'

Level Playing Field also said it has been in discussion with Chelsea Disabled Supporters' Association about the lack of accessible seating in their Conference League final against Real Betis.

In response to the criticism, UEFA said it was 'committed to ensuring a barrier-free experience for disabled fans and are working hard to improve both standards and experiences related to this.'

'The provision of quality sightlines is a decisive factor when determining whether a seat can be offered at a UEFA club final but we also factor historical demand as this is a way in which we manage to increase the numbers in accordance to demand.

They added: 'For context: For the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final 2024 in Bilbao, we allocated 60 seats and sold 59. For the UEFA Europa League Final 2024 in Dublin, we allocated 93 seats and sold 41.'

Via planes, trains and automobiles, Tottenham have arrived in Bilbao for the club's biggest game in decades.

Win, and with their first trophy in 17 years will come the added glory of returning to European football's top table with a spot in the Champions League next season.

Lose, and the number 17 takes on a different dimension - Spurs' league position. Defeat in Spain will make that impossible to ignore, or put down to focusing on Europa League exploits, and manager Ange Postecoglou will almost certainly lose his job.

That, of course, may happen anyway. But Postecoglou has said he always wins a trophy in his second season and intends to deliver on that promise, regardless of whether it is enough to convince Daniel Levy that he is the man to take Spurs on.

There is around £100million riding on Wednesday's final for each club, plus the futures of their managers, Champions League qualification, bragging rights and, of course, a trophy.

Here, MATT BARLOW reveals how Spurs have been preparing for this seismic Spanish clash.

Monday, May 12

The morning after another dismal defeat, this time losing 2-0 at home to soon-to-be FA Cup winners Crystal Palace, and TV, radio and the written press descend on Tottenham’s training centre near Enfield for their Europa League final media day.

Son Heung-min, who returned from injury as a second-half substitute against Palace, talks about his video call with Harry Kane, the former Spurs captain who has won his first major trophy, winning the German title with Bayern Munich. Kane wishes his friend good luck and Son vows to take inspiration from his former strike partner.

Postecoglou, who knows his job is on the line even if he wins Spurs' first trophy for 17 years, jokes about wrapping his players in cotton wool for the week rather than embarking on any of the sort of bonding exercises the players did before the Champions League final. Mauricio Pochettino had his players walking on hot coals and breaking arrows against their throats in 2019.

This time, with a much tighter schedule, the injury problems that have plagued Postecoglou are starting to take hold again.

Dejan Kulusevski came off with a knee problem against Palace. The Spurs boss says he is hopeful it is nothing more serious than a knock.

Sergio Reguilon, who has not been selected for the Europa League squad, collides with winger Brennan Johnson in a training game. They are supposed to be on the same team.

Tuesday, May 13

A day off for the players, before they turn their attentions to the Friday night visit to Aston Villa.

Wednesday, May 14

More media activity, with photography and green-screen shots of the players ahead of the final.

Further scans on Kulusevski’s right knee reveal damage to his patella. He has surgery which rules him out of the final.

It is a bitter blow to Spurs, who have lost the three most creative midfielders from their squad. Lucas Bergvall damaged ankle ligaments in training on the eve of the first leg of the semi-final against Bodo/Glimt and James Maddison has been ruled out for three months after injuring knee ligaments in that game.

In South Korea, a story breaks. Son has filed a complaint to the police that he is being blackmailed.

Thursday, May 15

Postecoglou dismisses the Son blackmail story as ‘a legal matter’ - police in the captain's homeland have arrested two people on suspicion of extortion and attempted extortion after demanding money from him to say silent over an alleged pregnancy - and reacts to the Kulusevski injury blow at his pre-match press conference by signposting a weakened team at Villa in the last game before the final.

Postecoglou rails against accusations that he might damage the ‘integrity’ of the Premier League for those competing for the top five.

Bergvall sweeps the club’s player of the year awards despite only starting 11 Premier League games. There’s a message in there for others as well as appreciation for the teenager who also started 10 Europa League games and sparkled in the second half of the season, after a difficult start following his arrival last summer from Djurgarden.

The first team train and travel ahead of the Villa game.

Friday, May 16

As warned, Postecoglou selects a second-string team at Villa. Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert up front, with Mikey Moore on the right and Son on the left.

The only starters with a chance of starting in Bilbao are Son, who needed game time after his injury and played for 74 minutes, and Pape Matar Sarr who came off after 54 minutes complaining of discomfort in his back.

Centre halves Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven and left back Destiny Udogie do not make the squad, and instead stay behind in London and train. Pedro Porro and Guglielmo Vicario are unused subs. Midfielder Callum Olusesi, 18, and defender Dante Cassanova, 20, are on the bench.

Spurs lose 2-0. Defeat number 21 in the Premier League and their seventh in the last nine games, with all eyes on the Europa League.

Saturday, May 17

The team doesn’t get back to London until 1.30am and this has been designated as another rest day for most of the players.

All eyes can now turn fully to Bilbao.

Sunday, May 18

There is what Postecoglou calls ‘a strong session’ - the last full blow-out for his first-teamers before the final. And more media commitments, this time for the Premier League rights holders ahead of the final game of the season, at home against Brighton on Sunday.

An interview emerges late from Australian broadcasters Optus Sports, in which the Spurs boss talks about his proud record of winning something in his second season at every club and says he does not regret his decision to remind the world of his success.

'Why would I regret something I’m proud of?' says Postecoglou. 'Live your life as you should, stand up for your achievements and be proud of it. That’s what I do.'

Monday, May 19

Another lighter training session in the morning, lunch and on to the team bus at the training ground to Stansted Airport, with the flight to Bilbao at 3.30pm.

Postecoglou is keen for the extended squad to travel and be part of the occasion, including all the injured players and the youngsters who have featured in the Europa League campaign.

This includes the likes of centre forward Will Lankshear, who made his debut at Ferencvaros in October, scored and was sent off at Galatasaray in November, and has spent the second half of the season on loan at West Brom, and those no longer in the squad such as Fraser Forster.

Spurs land in damp northern Spain just before 7pm local time. They have dinner together in the hotel and a quiet night with plans to train on the pitch after pre-match press conferences on the eve of the game. Their date with destiny awaits.

Manchester United's stars are en route to Bilbao for the Europa League final and looked like they meant business as they boarded the plane on Tuesday afternoon.

Ruben Amorim's men were seen arriving at Manchester Airport ahead of their season-defining clash with Tottenham.

Joshua Zirkzee shared a snap from his plane seat alongside captain Bruno Fernandes with an insightful one-word message for fans: 'Bilbao'.

The Dutchman is one of three stars who handed United a boost in the morning by training along with Leny Yoro and Diogo Dalot.

All three had been fitness doubts but they have been included in Amorim's travelling squad for a game which could be worth more than £100million to the victors.

Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez are the only two first-team stars to miss out through injury, while youngster Chido Obi is ineligible.

United and Spurs have the chance to salvage their seasons with silverware despite woeful domestic campaigns.

Their divisional placements of 16th and 17th combine to make this the worst Europa League final in history in terms of league position.

Around 80,000 fans are also expected to make the journey out to Bilbao, though the clubs have been allocated just 15,000 tickets each.

Not every supporter will be travelling and staying with the same luxury and ease afforded to the players, though.

Mail Sport reported on Monday how some fans were having to take three-day odysseys, including by personal boat and campervan.

Thousands of police and private security staff will be on duty at the final where three safety rings are being established around the San Mames stadium to separate fans and prevent any incidents.

Officials have warned that supporters without tickets will not get anywhere near the stadium following chaotic scenes at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris between Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Many genuine ticket holders were unable to enter while Uefa was also slammed for its organising of the event.

Ahead of Wednesday’s match, Uefa warned Tottenham and Manchester United fans that tickets purchased from touts or third party websites would be cancelled.

European football’s governing body said in a statement: ‘In view of the upcoming UEFA club competition finals, UEFA warns fans not to purchase tickets on the secondary market, from unauthorised third parties, websites, agencies or from touts.

‘Such tickets may be cancelled by UEFA at any time and fans are likely to be refused entry or be ejected from the stadium. In addition, fans may not receive the tickets which they have purchased from these unauthorised third parties.’

Amorim has been handed a boost in the form of his three returning stars: Zirkzee, Yoro, and Dalot.

Dalot has been absent since United's defeat by Wolves last month after picking up a calf injury.

The appearance of Zirkzee is the most surprising given the Dutch international had been ruled out for the season by Amorim after hobbling off during United's 4-1 defeat by Newcastle last month with a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Yoro was forced off with a foot injury during United's 2-0 defeat by West Ham at Old Trafford on May 11.

This significantly threatened his participation on Wednesday given he missed more than four months of action earlier this season when he suffered a similar setback in pre-season.

The Frenchman, who joined United from Lille for £52million last summer, subsequently missed the defeat by Chelsea last Friday.

'He had that problem at the beginning of the season,' Amorim had explained about Yoro's latest fitness issue.

'We hope it's not too serious. I don't want to say too much, but maybe it's not a big deal.'

It remains to be seen just what shape the trio are in, but if they are sufficiently fit, Yoro and Dalot would likely start in Amorim's strongest XI, while Zirkzee is expected to be an option off the bench.

Paddy Power have delivered a fake trophy to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Their cheeky dig comes just hours before Spurs play in the Europa League final

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Paddy Power have poked fun at Tottenham by delivering a fake trophy cabinet to their stadium ahead of the team's Europa League final against Manchester United.

Spurs will look to end their 17-year wait for silverware in Wednesday's final, having consistently fallen short of winning trophies in recent years.

Tottenham agonisingly missing out in the latter stages of competitions has become a running joke among rival fanbases, and now Paddy Power have got in on the act.

In the advert released on social media, the Paddy Power spokesman announced: 'In preparation for their Europa League final, Tottenham Hotspur have received delivery of a trophy cabinet, in case they actually win the thing.'

One of the supposed deliverymen then sticks the boot in by adding: 'We've designed this trophy cabinet especially for the club. It can take a maximum of one trophy, so we think that makes it futureproof.'

Much of the blame of Spurs' shortcomings has been placed at the feet of chairman Daniel Levy, with fans calling for him to pump more investment into the club or leave.

Paddy Power used this to make another dig at Spurs and Levy, with a second deliveryman joking: 'Well, Daniel Levy has kept the receipt so even if they do lose we'll just refund it and wheel it straight out of there. No harm done.'

Since winning their last trophy - the 2008 League Cup - Spurs have lost three finals.

They were beaten in the League Cup final by Chelsea in 2015 and Manchester City in 2021, while they also came off second best against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final.

However, there are reasons for Spurs fans to be optimistic that they can win on Wednesday and have the final laugh.

Ange Postecoglou has declared that he 'always' wins silverware in his second season, and he is just one game away from delivering on his promise.

Meanwhile, Spurs also have a very strong recent record against United.

They have not lost to the Red Devils since 2022, and have won all three of their meetings this season.

Re-live Mail Sport's live blog as our experts answered all of your burning questions ahead of the 2025 Europa League final between Tottenham and Manchester United.

© Associated Newspapers Ltd

Both Man United and Spurs have had hugely underwhelming domestic seasons

But both teams will do battle to see who claims a spot in the Champions League

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Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have had hugely underwhelming domestic campaigns in 2024-25, with the two sides sitting in 16th and 17th place in the Premier League table respectively.

However, both Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou have a shot at redemption in the Europa League, where their two teams will meet to do battle for an all-important spot in next season's Champions League.

With only one of the Red Devils or the Lilywhites being able to secure a return to elite European competition, the stakes will be even higher come the showpiece event in Bilbao on Wednesday night.

Ahead of the game, a supercomputer has predicted which side will come out on top in the contest.

The winner was generated by simulating the entire competition 1,000 times.

For each simulation, the code recorded where each team finished in the table and their likelihood of winning the trophy after each stage.

The results were then converted into percentages, showing the probability of each team finishing in each position in the league.

For the Europa League final showpiece at San Mames, AceOdds backed Tottenham to win 3-2 and lift a trophy for the first time since 2008.

Postecoglou has had to deal with a number of injury concerns ahead of the blockbuster encounter.

Dejan Kulusevski was forced off in the first half of their game against Crystal Palace on May 11, while Son-Heung Min has been absent in recent weeks with an ankle issue.

They will also be without Radu Dragusin, who ruptured his ACL in February and has been a long-term absentee for some time.

Meanwhile, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall are two of Spurs' midfield weapons that are set to miss the rest of the season.

United are having to contend with similar fitness concerns regarding the availability of their own players.

Leny Yoro limped off against United's recent loss to West Ham at Old Trafford, with the centre-back having to replaced by Harry Maguire.

The French footballer was not involved in Wednesday morning's open training session and missed the Red Devils trip to Stamford Bridge.

However, Ruben Amorim is optimistic that it's not a serious injury after his side's torrid Premier League form continues.

'He had that problem at the beg of the season. We hope it's not too serious. I don't want to say too much but maybe it's not a big deal,' the United boss told Sky Sports.

Man United and Spurs fans are making their way to Bilbao for Wednesday's final

Many are using alcohol to settle their nerves ahead of the big occasion

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Tens of thousands of Manchester United and Tottenham fans have set off on their journeys to Bilbao ahead of the Europa League final between the two English clubs.

As many as 80,000 United and Spurs supporters are expected in Bilbao for Wednesday night's final, with Spanish outlet El Correo suggesting locals are braced for the Brits to 'colonise' the Basque city.

Getting to Bilbao has proved to be an extremely challenging task for fans amid soaring prices for flights, accommodation and matchday tickets.

But that has not stopped some being willing to take obscure routes across the continent to see their team's bid for European glory.

United fan and YouTuber Flex charted his journey on X on Tuesday morning, and he started off by taking a plane to Prague.

'Road to Bilbao has began! he posted. '1st stop Prague lol!

'Bring this trophy back & Champions League money to rebuild this squad! YANITED!!!'

After touching down in the Czech capital, Flex gave another update, writing: 'Plane number 2! Madrid bound.'

That would at least put him in the right country, before a final trip to Bilbao to complete his quest.

Meanwhile, a group of Spurs supporters decided that heading to Paris first was the best route, as they wrote on X: 'In France, next stop Bilbao.'

Three of the fans were seen clutching a beer as they looked to get into the spirit ahead of what promises to be an exciting but nervy evening for both clubs.

One female United fan had the same idea for settling the nerves as she posted a photo of herself clutching two pints of Madri at the airport alongside the caption: 'See you in Bilbao'.

United won the Europa League back in 2017, and some of their supporters appear confident of creating more unforgettable memories on Wednesday.

One supporter posted a photo of him and his son holding a bottle of cider on a plane as he wrote: 'Name something better than going to a European final with your son. First one for the lad too!!!'

Another group of three United fans posed with a flag after stopping off in a different Spanish city as they captioned their post: 'Bilbao via Seville'.

It has been a difficult season for United after major changes behind the scenes, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos taking over the day-to-day running of the club from the Glazers.

One set of supporters made it clear they were not convinced by either Ratcliffe or the Glazers as they held up a flag that read: 'Glazers out, Ratcliffe out' while standing next to their plane.

With airfares rising by the minute, some supporters have taken the decision to drive to Bilbao.

A Spurs fan account gave an update on their progress, writing on X: 'Bilbao Bound. An 8.5 hour drive from Lisbon. COYS!'

United and Spurs have both endured miserable Premier League campaigns, and currently sit 16th and 17th respectively in the table.

But they are just one game away from Europa League glory, with Wednesday's match having an estimated £100m on the line.

The winners will earn a place in next season's Champions League, and could improve their chances of landing their top transfer targets this summer.

However, the losers will face a season without European football, and will likely have to cope with a restricted budget for the upcoming transfer window.

Rio Ferdinand has highlighted one specific worry he has for Man United in the Europa League final against Tottenham.

United will take on Spurs in Bilbao on Wednesday night in the showpiece event as Ruben Amorim's side aim to rescue what has been a dismal season.

Things haven't been much better for Tottenham, with the North London club one place below United in 17th in the Premier League after 21 defeats in 37 games.

The winner of the clash will secure a spot in next season's Champions League, meaning it could prove to be a real sliding doors moment for both clubs.

However, Ferdinand has expressed his concerns over United's physical inferiority and believes this weakness could be exposed against Premier League opposition.

‘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,' he 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.’

Despite Ferdinand's concerns, Amorim's side remain unbeaten in Europe and they have knocked out Real Sociedad, Lyon and Athletic Bilbao en route to the final.

However, as Ferdinand alludes to, United have been beaten by Spurs three times in the league this season and they have lost 18 of their 37 top flight fixtures.

And given the fluctuations in their performances, Ferdinand admitted that he is unsure which version of United will turn up in Bilbao.

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

‘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.

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

‘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.’