Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United - UEFA Europa League 21 May 2025 | Manchester United Manchester United Website
The Reds dominated the second half at San Mames but were unable to recover from the only goal in the first half, eventually credited to Brennan Johnson, who got the final touch after the ball bounced off Luke Shaw.
Ruben was asked about a lack of potency in front of goal, choosing Mason Mount ahead of Alejandro Garnacho, the future and how he can turn things around.
See what he had to say in Bilbao, after the disappointing end to what had been a fine European run...
Commiserations. How do you go about assessing that and the damage it does to Manchester United?
"It's in the future, I'm not going to talk about the future. This loss, the pain of losing this match. I can see it was clear, we were the better team but then we managed not to score again, so it's very hard to win football matches but the guys tried everything to win the game. In the future, we will have time to assess everything."
Do you regret not doing something in January to try to change that? Do you still believe in the players to deliver goals?
"There were some times we didn't create situations. Now is not that time. We are creating situations, if you look at the opportunities that we have, it's different players. So it's not a problem of one guy. We are not scoring goals. Their goalkeeper did a great job. Of course, I'm confident in my players. It's my job to improve my players. To arrive in January and make a lot of changes was not possible because all that the problems that we had to deal with and then I had to assess the team. So the problem is not just one player but we are missing chances with all the players."
Alejandro Garnacho did more in his first couple of minutes than Mason Mount did in 70-odd minutes. I appreciate the selection calls can be tricky but, looking ahead, do you think you've got to be a bit more proactive with your style of play, rather than pragmatic?
"What do you mean?"
Well it feels like Garnacho has more of a goal threat. As I said, it's difficult with selection but he comes on and has an opportunity and Mount wasn't really involved...
"How many times have we had this conversation and it was the opposite? Some players come in, like Mason Mount, against Bilbao and changed the game. So now it is easy to say. Who missed the big opportunity in the first half against Bilbao? Yeah [Garnacho]. Of course, now it is easy for us to talk about a lot of views. I just look at the game and try to manage things and improve the team and try to win games. I can see it both ways. I remember everything about the past so it is easy for me to respond to that question."
What do you say to the Portuguese people at this moment and are you interested in signing Viktor Gyokeres?
"I have to speak for our fans, for the English people, and for the supporters of Manchester United. So I have nothing to say to the Portuguese people at this moment. I just have to share the pain with our fans. They deserve better. We try everything about the future, we will see what we are going to do."
You said you weren’t sure if United were better off in the Champions League or out the Champions League next season. Now you’re not in the Champions League, what impact will that have on you, the players, the club, the whole bigger picture for the club going forward next season?
“We have two plans, even for the market and we need to understand it’s tough for a club like ours not to be in the Champions League. But we have to use the other side. If we have more time, we have more time to think, to work during the week and to be better in the Premier League. That will be our focus.”
I appreciate you don’t want to talk about the future but the season has been quite poor. The fans have come here and seen another quite poor performance. Is there anything you can say to the fans to give them optimism that things are going to be better in the future starting with next season?
“I think I was always really honest with you guys. We didn’t perform perfect today, but we were better than the opponent, and the opponent also played. In the second half, we try everything – with the central defenders, with the players wide, crosses going inside the box. I think I’m really honest with you guys, so I expect the same and there are some days where I said we were really poor. I think today was not the day. We were not perfect. We have a lot to improve, but I am always honest with you guys.”
When you came in, United were seven points off a Champions League berth. You’re now 27 off fifth, which is obviously a Champions League berth. Very politely, you cannot be happy with that. It’s a failure surely of yourself and the people who employed you, so how can you be confident of turning things round?
“We have to see. We have to see. I know everything that you did [say], I said before you. In this moment, I’m not going to be here defending myself. It’s not my style, I cannot do it. It’s really hard for me. I have nothing to show to the fans and say. [I can’t say] ‘I’m going to improve because of this, I have these problems’. I will not do nothing, so in this moment it’s a little bit of faith, so let’s see. Like I said before coming here, in the flash [interview positions], I’m always open. If the board and the fans feel I’m not the right guy, I will go in the next day without any conversation about compensation, but I will not quite. Again, I’m really confident about my job and, as you can see, I will not change nothing in the way I do things.”
Ruben, you mentioned you found it difficult to improve the players, having only just come into the club mid-season. What areas can you point to for improvement, because I think there’s a genuine argument that the team has gone backwards in the second half of the season, not forwards?
“In some moments, I don’t agree with that. I think we had some bad results. I think we improved in certain areas. We were competitive in more games but we didn’t score and sometimes in the small details we lost some games. I remember a lot of games – I will not try to [list them all, but] Nottingham, Wolverhampton. We created more chances against City at our home. We didn’t score and we lost some games. It’s a different way of playing. I try to put the players the best I can, try to help them. I was really hard on the players. I’m a young guy, but I also understand that with the chances we had in the second half, if we managed to score one the game should be different and our press conference should be so much different. So I have to deal with that and I understand. I have nothing to show to our fans, I am really honest with that. But again, I will continue to do things the way I know.”
Ahead of the big game against Tottenham Hotspur, which kicks off at 20:00 BST on Wednesday night, the boss was quizzed on whether he would operate with a false-nine, as Erik ten Hag did in last year's Emirates FA Cup final win over Manchester City, whether there is need to play Champions League football to avoid more job cuts and why he does not appear to be facing the same scrutiny on his job as his opposite number Ange Postecoglou.
See a selection of what he had to say, excluding the team news for the crunch contest, in his briefing...
CAN THIS MEAN A NEW FUTURE?
“A new future, for me it is not the case but it is going to help us to finish the season, if people will look at our team in a different way because winning a European title is really important. But, again, it’s not going to change our season. The players know, everyone knows, the fans know, the staff know but winning a European title can help us have that feeling to build the future.”
ARE MORE STAFF JOBS ON THE LINE?
“Again, I think it is not the case. We are doing things that we need to do. For example, I came to the club, it was said in order to survive and buying players, you need to be in the Champions League and this is not the case. Or club can have revenues without the Champions League. It’s a big club, a massive club, with a lot of fans around the world. It is a big brand so we just need to be focused on doing things the right way. So I don’t see it like that, I’m always fighting for more than myself, for my players, my staff and, especially, the fans.”
THE DIFFERENT SELECTIONS LAST WEEK
“The advantage, I don’t know. You have to see the context. I don’t know the context of Tottenham. What I know is we had the last game against Bilbao, we had that game and then had to rest some players. We were afraid of some injuries but then had a full week to prepare for the game. I felt, with five days to the final, the big thing to prepare for the final was to give time to the players to play. I can’t respond from the side of Tottenham but, for me, it’s really clear. We need to compete and the best way to prepare for something is to compete. We had that feeling, we pushed the players at the end of the game against West Ham. I felt we should show something against Chelsea, that when we are focused, when we play our game, we can control any game. It was a good way to prepare for the final, that was the idea.”
WILL YOU PLAY A FALSE-NINE LIKE ERIK DID IN THE FA CUP FINAL?
“Our system is a normal system, it can change the characteristics. It’s not about playing with a striker or without a striker. Like any other that you can change characteristics but it doesn’t matter what happened in the last final because it was a different team, different competition, different context. So everything was different. I just focus on the way we play. The way Tottenham play. We had to better than the last two games was my focus, not the last time we won a cup.
GETTING BACK TO THE TOP
"I think it’s hard to speak about that in this moment. I need to be excited and confident. I already know the problem with a lot of things we need to change in our club, the way we do everything in the week at Carrington, the recruitment, the Academy. I think we need to improve but it’s hard to point to one thing. It won’t be solved by winning a cup. I will say it again, we have bigger things to deal with to put this club back to the top. Tomorrow will be important for us, for our fans, to have that feeling of winning that can help us have the strength for every job we have to do. We have a lot to do in our club, not just winning tomorrow but tomorrow will be massive for our fans.”
WHY AREN'T YOU UNDER MORE PRESSURE?
"I don’t know. I know that, in this kind of club, also in Tottenham, but especially in Manchester United, it’s strange to have some coaches here they lose some games and they are sacked. It’s hard to explain. I think people are seeing what I’m trying to do. Sometimes I’m thinking more of the club than myself, so people understand, especially the board. We have lots of possibilities in this context, it’s really hard. I don’t know how to explain how the fans like me in this moment. It’s hard to explain. I will try to prove myself to the fans and to the board but I don’t have an explanation for you. Again, I think it’s a good thing for me to never worry about that. It’s part of being a coach. The most important thing is to know what you’re doing and I explained everything. Again, before, when I explained about the storm and all the problems we have to the board. So I was clear. I won’t change my idea. They know they cannot say one thing that I said to get the job and then I change my mind. It was the opposite. I think the board can understand that, the fans can understand that, but we’ll reach a moment when we have to win. No matter what. So I don’t have an explanation for that."
The San Mames showdown is a huge occasion and opportunity for the Reds, and there was a welcome boost with Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee named in a 26-man travelling squad, after training at Carrington on Tuesday morning.
Matthijs de Ligt was not in the squad but has come out to the Basque Country to support his colleagues, as he did an individual session at our base earllier.
Lisandro Martinez is the only other first-teamer sidelined, with Jonny Evans also fit enough to be in contention.
When it was suggested Zirkzee's inclusion was not expected by anybody, after he had initially been ruled out for the season when going off injured at Newcastle United, Amorim said: "Me neither! So they recover quite well. They push, of course, and we have to respect the feeling of the player but we push a little bit, as they wanted to be part of the team. That is a very good sign.
"Very good for us. Of course, they are limited in the minutes for the game but they can help us win the game. De Ligt is out."
At the end of the press conference, the boss was asked if the prospect of extra-time and penalties would influence his team selection.
"No," he replied. "I just think of the best starting XI to start the game. Then it's really important to have options on the bench, to change the game. Sometimes, they are really, really important to win a final. I'm not thinking about going to extra-time. Of course, we have that possibility but I never think about that.
"Maybe, in the final minutes, if we have two subs, then one and can wait for extra-time to have a think about the possibility. But, in the beginning of the game, I just want to win the game really fast.
"We know and we proved against Lyon, if we have to score three goals in six minutes we are able to do it, especially with our fans in the stadium!"
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR'S TEAM NEWS
Lucas Bergvall has been ruled out by Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, with the young midfielder watching on as the squad trained at San Mames this afternoon.
Pape Matar Sarr is fit, though, overcoming a back issue that prompted a scare when he was withdrawn during the defeat to Aston Villa last Friday.
James Maddison has travelled but has also been declared unavailable, while several players are ineligible, including Antonin Kinsky, Fraser Forster, Timo Werner and former Red Sergio Reguilon. Dejan Kulusevski has joined Radu Dragusin and Dane Scarlett on the sidelines.
Influential centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are both ready to start.
Included in it is Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee, who all took part in Tuesday morning's training session at Carrington following their respective recent absences.
Matthijs de Ligt was spotted going through an individual workout on another pitch and is one of only two first-team players to miss out through injury, with long-term absentee Lisandro Martinez being the other.
Young forward Chido Obi is ineligible for the Europa League.
Amorim is expected to speak about his squad and provide an update on the availability of his players for Wednesday's 20:00 BST kick-off during a pre-match press conference this (Tuesday) evening.
He's set to be joined by Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire at the media briefing and we'll bring it to you on MUTV, ManUtd.com and the United App from 18:00 BST as part of a special 75-minute show.
Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss it.
Whether it’s their first appearance in the showpiece event or a return trip, our Reds are fully focused on the game in Bilbao and can’t wait to get going.
Ahead of the trip, we spoke to seven of them about the occasion, our opponents and returning to San Mames, where we beat Athletic Club in the semi-final earlier this month.
Watch the video below to see what they said and scroll further down for a selection of the best quotes from the likes of Amad, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo…
AMAD
“I think the mood is positive. We know we are in the final, so we have to be positive and then try to go in the game with good vibes and try to do our best.
“We know we already lost three times against them this season, so we have to respect them. Obviously, we know they’re not really doing really good in the Premier League like us, but we have to respect them because they’re a really good team. So, we will prepare, we will prepare the game very good with the manager. And then we will play the final as a final.
“I think a club like United has to play [in the] Champions League every year. It's a big club: it deserves to play in Europe every year. We know that if we win this trophy, we’ll play Champions League next season, so we will try to give the best possible to win this trophy.”
PATRICK CHINAZAEKPERE DORGU
“We want to win. We want to win a trophy. And for me, it's my first final. So of course, it's an excitement to play your first final and hopefully to win it as well.”
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN
“I think everyone is excited. We’ve been on a long run to get to the final and had some good games on the way. So yeah, it's going to be the perfect end for our Europa League campaign to go in the final.”
ALEJANDRO GARNACHO
“I'm very, very excited. You know, this week will be very, very long. I just want to play the game. I don't care if I score or not. I just need to win the game and then celebrate with the fans and the family.
“We know the stadium. We know everything, you know. So I think that will help a little bit, but then it’s a final and everything can happen. So we'll see.”
VICTOR LINDELOF
“It's a good mood. I think everyone is looking forward to it. It's a European final and everyone is very excited to be a part of that.
“It’s a tough opponent. They’ve had a tough season as well, but they have quality players and if they perform at a high level it's going to be very hard. But it's going to be a good game hopefully.”
KOBBIE MAINOO
“To make the Europa League final, it's obviously a big achievement in football - one of the biggest. We're just going to have to be fully focused and try our best to win the game.
“This is obviously going to be a tough game. We've come up against them obviously many times and it's always a tough game, so you just have to be locked in up until the game. And then try and smash it.
“The Champions League is one of the trophies every player dreams of being involved in and fighting for. So that's definitely another light at the end of the tunnel for us.”
ANDRE ONANA
“For me it's a big honour. A big privilege. My first final was against Manchester United in the Europa League, when I was still at Ajax. So being in this final again, but with Manchester United this time, it's just wonderful for me.
“We already know the stadium, when we faced [Athletic Club de] Bilbao. It’s a very nice stadium, with a strong atmosphere. We won there and that’s what we went there for. So we're going back there really excited, and hopefully we come back with a win again.
“It's been a very difficult season for all of us. And it's a learning time for all of us because for some of us maybe it's the first time to face something like this in their whole career, but we have another big opportunity, so we have to take it. And this game will not save the season, but at least we'll give some joy to the fans.”
On the eve of the meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, there’s a lot going on around the club and our official platforms are best when it comes to keeping you up to date with the breaking news.
We’ll start at Carrington, where Ruben Amorim and his players will go through their final workout before the flight to the Basque Country.
The Reds are due out on the grass from around 10:15 BST and we’ll have coverage of an hour of training, with our show streaming live to subscribers on MUTV, ManUtd.com and in the United App.
Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro have been injured, but Amorim has said they’re working hard to be in contention for the final – so will any of them appear in front of the cameras? Tune in to find out.
After training, the squad will fly out and we’ll publish the travelling squad so you can see which players could be involved at San Mames.
Make sure you take part in our United Predictions game and select the starting XI, first scorer, Man of the Match and correct score for the chance to win prizes.
At 18:00 BST, our press conference live show will get under way, courtesy of our crew at the stadium.
Over the following 75 minutes, we’ll be covering Ruben’s media briefing, as our head coach is joined by captain Bruno Fernandes and centre-back Harry Maguire, whose late winner against Lyon proved so crucial in the run to the final.
Depending on timings, you’ll also hopefully be able to see the squad go for their pre-match walk around the San Mames pitch, as well as Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou’s own preview of the game.
Complementing the key events will be the news, views and video provided by those on the ground - so come onboard with us as we aim to bring the trophy back to Manchester.
The 2008/09 League Cup was at stake when the sides did battle at Wembley, with Reds keeper Ben Foster emerging as the hero.
Sir Alex Ferguson rotated his side to some extent, with Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck rewarded for their efforts during the cup run, while Foster got the nod to start in goal, ahead of Edwin van der Sar, after appearing in the semi-final second leg against Derby County.
Current centre-back Jonny Evans was in the XI but there was no Wayne Rooney, who was ruled out with a virus.
It proved to be a goalless 120 minutes against Harry Redknapp's north Londoners, with neither team able to break the deadlock.
Foster made one stunning save to deny danger man Aaron Lennon, while Cristiano Ronaldo hit a post towards the end of normal time.
A penalty shootout was required to decide the winners, with Ryan Giggs slotting the opening kick past Heurelho Gomes. Jamie O'Hara's effort was then kept out by Foster, who had clearly done his research on the takers.
Carlos Tevez, Vedran Corluka and Ronaldo all netted but David Bentley sent his attempt off target to allow Anderson to gleefully claim the silverware.
Although the two clubs have done so well in the FA Cup, there has never been a final in that competition between United and Spurs.
However, we have faced each other in Europe before, back in 1963.
During our first-ever entry into the European Cup-Winners' Cup, after beating Willem II, the Reds met the north Londoners, with the away leg ending in a 2-0 defeat. Dave Mackay and Terry Dyson scored the goals in the second half at White Hart Lane.
A week later, Matt Busby's men somehow turned things around at Old Trafford, winning 4-1 on the night to seal a 4-3 aggregate triumph.
David Herd dived to head in the opener in the second leg before Spurs suffered a huge blow when losing influential captain Mackay to a broken leg, leaving them down to 10 men.
Herd stabbed home to make it 2-0 and level the tie, only for the brilliant Jimmy Greaves to smash home for the visitors and turn things back their way.
Amid a feverish atmosphere, Bobby Charlton produced an expert finish to equalise on aggregate and then beat keeper Bill Brown at his near post, with seven minutes remaining, sealing a remarkable comeback.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were second best at Villa Park and beaten by second-half finishes from Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Camara.
It leaves Villa needing a win when they visit Old Trafford on the final day of the season to stand a chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
In the meantime, the Reds are hoping to secure our place in the league phase of the 2025/26 premier competition by seeing off Spurs in Bilbao.
It has been all about resting players in the build-up to the midweek contest at San Mames for Tottenham boss Postecoglou, who has now seen his side lose five of their last six league outings.
The Premier League approved the club’s request to bring forward the match against Villa from Sunday afternoon to Friday night - in line with United’s game at Chelsea - to allow Spurs more time to prepare for the final.
Postecoglou made three changes to his team from their 2-0 home defeat by Crystal Palace last Sunday, as captain Son Heung-min returned to the line-up after being sidelined for a month with a foot injury. Former United loanee Sergio Reguilon and teenage winger Mikey Moore also came in, as Pedro Porro and Rodrigo Bentancur dropped to the substitutes’ bench.
As previously reported, influential midfielder Dejan Kulusevski is set for several months on the sidelines after having surgery on the knee injury which forced him off in the 19th minute against Palace.
However with one eye on the showdown with United in Spain, it’s worth noting that Postecoglou had previously made eight changes for the Palace game, from the team that beat Bodo/Glimt 2-0 in Norway to seal a 5-1 aggregate victory in the semi-finals.
Postecoglou said Pape Matar Sarr was substituted as a “precaution” against Villa, after the midfielder was replaced by Yves Bissouma in the 53rd minute and appeared to be in discomfort as he went down the tunnel alongside medical staff. Moore also needed treatment before he was taken off in the 87th minute.
Giving an update on the pair, Postecoglou said in his post-match press conference: “Pape felt something in his back so we took him off as a bit of a precaution. I don’t think it’s anything too significant speaking to him afterwards but he just felt something in his back and I think Mikey [Moore] was okay. It was fatigue as much as anything else. He hasn’t played that sort of minutes before.”
Star man Son played 74 minutes and Postecoglou is optimistic he could be able to start in the Basque Country.
“He’s ready and he’s available,” said the manager. “They’re all ready to start so I think him playing 70-75 minutes today was important and you could see he opened up a couple of times. It’s as much about Sonny himself and feeling that he’s getting back into a rhythm and I think there were moments tonight where he showed that.”
Richarlison, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke were all introduced late on as substitutes, but defensive trio Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie didn’t travel to the Midlands and won’t have played for two weeks when the final comes around.
When asked if that was a concern, the manager said they would be available against United and added: “For us, there’s no point bringing them here, they weren’t going to play. They stayed at home, they did a really strong [training] session and come Wednesday, knock on wood, they are all available and that’s the most important thing.”
With Guglielmo Vicario rested again, Antonin Kinsky - who is ineligible to play in the Europa League - was in goal for the second successive match and had a busy night against Unai Emery’s side.
It will be interesting to see who Postecoglou selects to line up against the Reds in the final. You can follow all the build-up to the season-defining showdown on ManUtd.com and in the United App.
MUTV will provide unrivalled build-up to the blockbuster occasion with four exclusive broadcasts from the city throughout matchday at 09:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 18:00 BST.
The game itself will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.
If you do not subscribe to that service, live radio commentary will be available via MUTV on the club channel, the United App and ManUtd.com.
Here’s the big news you might not know about…
We will stream the entire Europa League final to MUTV subscribers at 00:00, 04:00, 06:30, 09:00 and 11:30 BST on Thursday morning.
The on-demand video of the game will be available to watch from 08:00 as part of MUTV’s Full 90 box set. You can watch this on your Connected TV, in our app or on the website.