There was once a time that some United fans used to say they’d rather not play in Europe than compete in the second-rate Europa League. How things have changed. Next Wednesday’s final against Spurs arguably represents the club’s most defining moment since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
A win will catapult the Red Devils straight back into Europe’s top tier, increasing their guaranteed income for 2025/26 by tens of millions, giving them a bigger transfer budget and providing a greater incentive for top players to sign for them. And, of course, there is the small matter of it being a trophy for head coach Ruben Amorim in his first season at the club and a reward for the loyal fans who have endured one of the most difficult seasons in the club’s history.
The decision Amorim makes as to his starting XI is therefore one of the biggest he will ever face. The Peoples Person are running a series in which each writer chooses their ideal starting XI for the game. It should be noted that these are dream teams, not predicted XI’s.
We have already heard from Alex Browne. Today, it’s Red Billy’s turn.
Goalkeeper – Andre Onana To be honest, I have little faith in any goalkeeping option we have available. I want Amorim to select a team that doesn’t have too many mistakes in it, as it is mistakes that have blighted us all season. Andre Onana is one of the top culprits but aside from a masterclass against Arsenal in the FA Cup, backup Altay Bayindir has also looked shaky. It even crossed my mind to go for veteran Tom Heaton but at the end of the day, Onana is the best keeper we have and we just have to pray that he is focussed and at his best.
Back Three – Nouss Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro I’m going to be optimistic that Yoro’s injury isn’t serious and that both he and De Ligt are back in time. Yoro has probably already become our best defender, especially in the absence of Licha Martinez, with De Ligt neck-and-neck with him.
Again, with the rationale of picking players who don’t have errors in them, I’m leaving out Harry Maguire. He has been much better in a back three under Amorim than he was under previous managers, but he is still slow, error-prone and haphazard positionally. The best argument for playing him is, ironically, if we need a late goal – so he’s going to be my substitute striker.
Mazraoui has also made a few errors lately but I trust him and he, for me, edges it over Harry and Victor Lindelof.
Wing Backs – Luke Shaw and Amad Patrick Dorgu and Dio Dalot (if fit) will no doubt be Amorim’s starting wing backs but I would do something different. Whilst a great prospect, we don’t know how Dorgu will react to a big night like this and he has put in some mixed performances already. Shaw has the experience and big-game mentality so for me, he’s the one who should start the game, with Dorgu maybe replacing him later on if extra energy is needed.
United should take the game to Spurs. Attack is the best form of defence, so Amad should reprise that wing back role on the right he impressed with earlier in the season.
Central Midfield – Bruno Fernandes and Manu Ugarte Casemiro will no doubt be selected for his experience but I would prefer the energy of Manu Ugarte. He plays really well with Fernandes (and badly when alongside Casemiro) and it would be good to have the Brazilian on the bench to bring on if Ugarte picks up a yellow at some point, which he probably will. It’s a close call though, with the Brazilian playing pretty well at the moment.
That’s another reason for not starting Casemiro – if he tries too hard and starts flinging himself into those horrific sliding tackles, there’s always a chance of a straight red.
Captain Bruno, of course, has to play, end of discussion.
Front Three – Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho I love the idea of Mount and Amad down the right, as Mount has the energy to cover defensively when Amad bombs forward. We also know how well Shaw and Garnacho can play together on the left.
This leaves just the centre forward position and in the absence of Josh Zirkzee and Chido Obi, I’d go for Kobbie as a false nine. Quite honestly, at this point in time, Rasmus Hojlund is in such bad form that I would not even have him in the squad. Regroup in the summer, try to find a way to tap back into the potential he had shown before this horror season, but he should not be starting a European final at a time when he would be struggling to get into the starting XI of a League Two side.
Here then, is my selection for next week’s starting XI:
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Red Billy Red Billy is the managing editor of The Peoples Person, author of three books and totally obsessed with football’s transfer market. Billy still insists Matteo Darmian and Alex Telles could have made it at United given half a chance.
