Rio Ferdinand points out Man Utd's "weak point" before Europa League final

(Dan Tri) - Rio Ferdinand is concerned that the physical difference between Man Utd and Tottenham before the Europa League final could cause the "Red Devils" to fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.

"I've been saying this for months, physically, Man Utd can't keep up with any team in the Premier League," former Man Utd defender Rio Ferdinand expressed his concern ahead of the Europa League final between the "Red Devils" and Tottenham at San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, taking place at 2am on May 22.

Despite being the two representatives of England in the final, both Man Utd and Tottenham had a terrible season, ranking 16th and 17th respectively in the Premier League after 37 rounds.

However, despite being one place below Man Utd on the rankings, Tottenham is completely confident against the "Red Devils" as they have defeated their opponents three times this season thanks to their physical superiority.

Fitness is Man Utd's biggest problem when facing Tottenham in the Europa League final (Photo: Getty).

"If Tottenham keep playing one-on-one and going head-to-head with us, we'll be at a disadvantage because our players at Man Utd aren't fast, they're not as strong and they're not as good as other teams.

That's a big problem in the Premier League. In the Europa League we dominate everyone. The only team in the Europa League that gives us problems is Rangers, who are similar in size to a Premier League team.

So that was my concern going into the final against a Premier League team, who have beaten us three times, who could at least be on par physically," Rio Ferdinand said.

Man Utd won the Europa League once in the 2016-17 season under manager Jose Mourinho. The "Red Devils" also reached the semi-finals in 2020 before losing to Villarreal in the final on penalties a year later.

Once again, Man Utd reached the quarter-finals in 2023 but were beaten by Sevilla, who had also eliminated them three years earlier.

Tottenham, on the other hand, are looking to end a 17-year wait for a major trophy after finishing runners-up in successive seasons. After winning the League Cup in 2008, they lost the next final to Man Utd, then to Chelsea in 2015 and finally to Man City in 2021.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/rio-ferdinand-chi-ra-tu-huyet-cua-man-utd-truoc-chung-ket-europa-league-20250520073715894.htm