"If it's not then you're in the wrong team" - David Beckham sends strong message to Manchester United ahead of FA Cup final against Manchester City
Manchester United icon David Beckham has sent a strong message to his former club, with the Red Devils set to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final. The Cityzens are widely expected to secure the title as they are currently on a much better run of form and have fewer injuries across the board.
While Pep Guardiola's City are currently gunning for two trophies, with the Premier League in their purview, the same cannot be said for Erik ten Hag's United. The Red Devils are not having their best season, as they could potentially finish in mid-table, well out of European spots.
United's cup run has been a bit more impressive but it nearly ended with a rather nervy win in the semi-final against Coventry City. The situation was rather dire, as it went to penalties, where the mid-table Championship side eventually bowed out.
Ahead of Manchester United's clash with their eternal rivals, David Beckham told talkSPORT (via Manchester Evening News):
“You know you should be motivated when you’re a professional footballer and you’re doing the job that you love and you’re at the club that you love. Whether it’s a regular season game or whether it’s an FA Cup final against your rivals, that should be enough motivation.
“If it’s not, then you’re in the wrong team and you’re playing the wrong sport. I think at the end of the day, we went into every game, wherever it was a Youth Cup game, a friendly or a European Cup final with the same mentality and the same drive."
He added:
“That’s what you’d hope any team and any player for Manchester United, go into an FA Cup final with. I hope the current players can take inspiration from our achievements.”
The two Manchester clubs will clash in the FA Cup final on Saturday, May 25.
Gary Nevill does not think Manchester United should sack Erik ten Hag
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes the club should stick with underfire manager Erik ten Hag. The Dutch manager has had a terrible campaign this term, with the Red Devils enduring what could be their worst-ever Premier League campaign of all time.
Speaking on SkySports where he works as a pundit, Neville opined:
"I don't see a suitable replacement for Ten Hag available. Bayern Munich are struggling to find a replacement, others are struggling. I think we need to stick with Ten Hag and give him one more season - an injury-free season - to see if United can get back to the standards of last season where they won a trophy and finished in the top four."
The Red Devils won the Carabao Cup in Ten Hag’s first season and made the FA Cup final as well. However, his second season has been different. While the former Ajax boss has made another FA Cup final, injuries have seen Manchester United endure a remarkably poor campaign.