"They should be extremely satisfied with just playing in the Europa League" - Manchester United legend delivers grim verdict on UCL campaign
Manchester United legend Paul Parker has delivered a damning verdict on the Red Devils' UEFA Champions League campaign this season. He has boldly said that Erik Ten Hag's men should be content if they end up landing in the Europa League amid their slow start to the term.
It goes without saying that Manchester United's outing in Europe so far this season has produced more questions than answers. The Red Devils lost their first two Champions League games to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray. As it stands, they sit at the bottom of Group A and are at risk of premature elimination from the competition.
Ten Hag's side still have four games to play before the group stage concludes as the knockout phase looks more and more like a distant dream. It wouldn't be a surprise if Manchester United end up finishing third in the table and competing in the Europa League as a result.
If this ends up being the case, Parker insists that the Red Devils should be satisfied. He made the comment during an interview with Danish magazine Tipsdablet, saying:
“I’ve said it this whole time that Man United should be very happy if they could finish second in this group but now I think they should be extremely satisfied with just playing in the Europa League after the Christmas."
Manchester United's next game in the Champions League will see them square it off with Copenhagen at Old Trafford on Tuesday, October 24. It would be a special game for their new Rasmos Hojlund who will be facing his former club at Old Trafford.
Speaking about the encounter, Parker reckoned that the striker would be eager to prove a point and urged Erik Ten Hag's men to rely on him as he said:
“Rasmus Hojlund for sure wants to prove a point against his boyhood club who didn´t believe in his abilities and if Man United want to get something out of this game, then they have to rely on him because he is their biggest threat and he wants to prove that he can achieve something at Man United after FC Copenhagen got rid of him for a ridiculous low amount of money."
“The way he is playing, reminds me of an old fashioned English centre forward and I believe he is the one that has to give Man United the win,” he added.
Hojlund joined Manchester United from Atalanta in the summer and has scored three goals in two Champions League games this season.
Andre Onana could be decisive in Manchester United's Champions League qualification race
The summer signing from Inter Milan has endured a poor start to life at Old Trafford following his. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say Andre Onana's struggles have dragged the club back significantly this season. So far, he's conceded a whopping 20 goals in just 12 appearances for the Red Devils.
Erik Ten Hag's men lost their first two Champions League games to Bayern and Galatasaray 4-3 and 3-2 respectively. In both games, the Cameroonian made the wrong difference as his costly errors allowed his team to suffer narrow defeats.
Manchester United are quite aware that their clash with Copenhagen is a must-win. Onana will undoubtedly be in goal for the fixture. How he fares would go a long way in determining his team's fate.