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Manchester United are just days away from their biggest match of the season — but club legend Gary Neville isn’t pulling any punches.
Ahead of the Europa League final against Tottenham, the former Red Devils captain made a bold — and frankly brutal — claim about the current squad.
United will face Spurs in Bilbao with a Champions League place on the line. It's a huge game, possibly season-defining.
But Neville doesn’t sound too hopeful. In fact, he thinks only one United player would even start for Tottenham right now.
Speaking on The Overlap, Neville said, “Only Bruno Fernandes would get into Tottenham’s first eleven. I would choose EVERY single Tottenham player over Man United’s in the final.”
That’s a red card-worthy roast from a club legend.
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Gary Neville predicts Man Utd vs. Tottenham Europa League winner
Neville didn’t stop there. He rattled off the names of nearly every Spurs starter — Son, Romero, Bissouma, Van de Ven, even Solanke — and placed them all ahead of United’s underperforming stars.
He admitted he had a “sickly feeling” about the match in Spain. “If the players play as they should do, pound-for-pound, Tottenham should win that game,” Neville added.
But even with that gloomy prediction, the ex-right-back gave a little hope to United fans. He believes players like Bruno Fernandes or Casemiro could pull off a one-game special.
“They've got something in them that will step up for a one-off game,” he said. “That means I think we’ll win.”
Still, Neville warned that a loss could have serious long-term effects. No trophy could mean no Champions League.
And that could mean trouble in the transfer window. “They might not get the players they want,” he said, “and it kicks on for another two or three years.”
Tottenham, meanwhile, are also dealing with setbacks. James Maddison is out, and several others will miss the final. But according to Neville, even a depleted Spurs team is still the favorite.
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Vishal Bhawani is a sub-editor for the Affiliate Content team and a writer and sub-editor for the Football Wires team at The Sporting News. Based in Indore, India, he holds a Diploma in Operations and Management from Maharashtra University.
Before joining TSN in May 2024, Vishal contributed to Football Express and Six Sports and ran his own blog, Anfield Home, as a passionate Liverpool fan. An avid traveler, he follows multiple sports, including cricket, soccer, and tennis.
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