Rasmus Hojlund picks side as Roy Keane disagrees with Gary Neville in Man Utd debate
Manchester United’s only hopes of silverware this season rests on their upcoming Europa League clash with Lyon and striker Rasmus Hojlund has spoken out ahead of the game
Rasmus Hojlund has dismissed claims that Europa League glory can ‘save’ Manchester United's season after agreeing with Roy Keane. The Red Devils have endured a woeful campaign this term, with the arrival of Ruben Amorim failing to arrest their slide.
They sit 13th in the Premier League table with just seven games remaining having lost more matches than they’ve won this season. Despite their rotten league form, United still have a chance to seal a Champions League spot.
That will only happen should they win the Europa League this term, with a clash against French side Lyon to come on Thursday. Asked if the season could be saved with the trophy, Hojlund disagreed, claiming that success is the minimum that is expected at Old Trafford.
Speaking to Danish outlet PLBold, the striker said: “If we don't win the trophy [Europa League], I won't say it's been a successful European season, because that's what we're after.
“I don't like the word 'save'. It means that you forget a little bit about everything else that has happened. It can provide a foundation for next season if we can put some games together.”
READ MORE: Man Utd legend claims Bruno Fernandes could be sold to Man City in shock transferREAD MORE: Roy Keane disagrees with Gary Neville on Man Utd and Europa League - 'Absolutely not'Away from current United stars, a host of former players have also given their verdicts on the remainder of the campaign. And ex-captain Keane believes that even Europa League glory would not make the season a success.
“Not that trophy, no,” said Keane, speaking on the Stick To Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet . “Not for Manchester United, maybe for other teams winning that trophy. There is a plus to it, because it’ll get them into the Champions League, but the trophy and that competition shouldn’t be enough for United, absolutely not.”
Gary Neville also gave his verdict on that claim and disagreed with Keane. He replied: “The reason I’d say it’ll be successful is because United couldn’t win the league this season, we knew that right from the start.
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“So they could only win three trophies – the FA Cup, League Cup and the Europa League. If they won one of them, I’d say that’s successful. There is a big ‘but’ - they’ve sacked a manager and are 13th in the league and that’s bad.”
United travel to France for the first-leg of their clash with Lyon on Thursday evening ahead of the second-leg at Old Trafford next week. Ruben Amorim’s side already know their semi-final opponents should they progress, with Rangers or Athletic Bilbao lying in wait.
The Red Devils could face Premier League rivals Tottenham in the final should they go that far. The North London side take on Eintracht Frankfurt, with Bobo/Glimt’s clash with Lazio rounding off the quarter-final schedule.
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