Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has insisted that a “disgrace” of a Premier League season should not be forgotten if the Red Devils win the 2024-25 Europa League trophy.
The 20-time English champions have struggled badly during the current Premier League season, with a return of 39 points from 34 matches leaving them down in 14th spot in the table, some 21 points behind fifth-placed Chelsea.
Man United’s worst-ever Premier League campaign in terms of points has already been confirmed, and the Red Devils can finish as low as 17th this term.
However, the season could still end on a positive note, as Ruben Amorim‘s side are in the semi-finals of the Europa League, with the first leg of their semi-final taking place against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night.
Parker has said that Man United should enjoy any European success, but the ex-Red Devils defender has insisted that the team’s league struggles should not be overlooked regardless of any trophy win.
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Parker: ‘Man United’s league season has been a disgrace’
“Of course it is. It’s the second biggest trophy in Europe,” Parker, who played for Man United between 1991 and 1996, told Sports Mole when asked whether the team’s campaign would be considered a success if they won the Europa League.
“Of course it’s going to be off the back of what has been a poor season, but they can jump around and do everything. If they do win it, I hope there’s not an open top bus or anything like that. You have to enjoy winning a trophy.
“You have to enjoy it, even if it’s been a bad league season. You’re judging anything in football or in life, is the things over a period of time. Manchester United, over a period of nine months of a season, nine and a half months, have been terrible.
“And that’s the bit the manager will look at. He’ll enjoy this if he does get to the final, and enjoy it even more if he wins the final. But he knows himself that his league campaign has been a disgrace for a club of this standard.
“So once Europe’s done, it’s done and it’s forgotten, as far as I’m concerned, if you’re Manchester United, you don’t go out and try and sell this out there on PR terms and marketing on that side.”
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What is Man United’s record against Athletic?
Man United have tackled Athletic on four previous occasions and have only managed to post one victory.
The first-ever meeting between the two sides came back in January 1957, with Athletic recording a 5-3 victory over Man United in the first leg of their European Cup quarter-final, before the Red Devils won the reverse game at Old Trafford 3-0 to advance, but they lost to Real Madrid in the final four.
Man United were beaten in both of their meetings with Athletic in the last-16 stage of the 2011-12 Europa League, though, going down 3-2 at Old Trafford before losing the second leg 2-1 in Spain, so the English giants are chasing their first-ever away success over the Lions on Thursday night.
Athletic will enter the first leg off the back of a 1-0 victory over Las Palmas in La Liga, while Rasmus Hojlund scored late for Man United at Bournemouth on Sunday to earn the Red Devils a welcome point at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League.
Paul Parker was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of Betano
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