Teddy Sheringham believes the Europa League final is a “sliding doors moment” for his former team Manchester United.
Speaking exclusively toMan U News (courtesy of Prime Casino), Sheringham said that losing to Tottenham and failing to qualify for the Champions League could set in motion a chain of events that could take a decade to recover from:
“I was going to say defeat in the Europa League could ruin Manchester United. I mean, it’s such a knife-edge that this is a sliding doors moment.”
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“They’ve got a chance of clinging on to Champions League football, to then have a chance of coming back into fighting talk with the rest of the Premier League. I mean, if they don’t get Champions League football, that the hold that Manchester United have on players coming to join them could significantly die. Players will be choosing a lot of other clubs ahead of Manchester United and that’s never been the way. So it really is a Sliding Doors moment for Manchester United.”
“This could be the end of Manchester United for the next 10 years with the way I see it, if they don’t get back into Champions League football for next season. It’s that important. They’re either going to start climbing back or they’re going to be in the doldrums.”
Man United are already making signings
While Sheringham does paint a bleak future for the Red Devils if they lose on Wednesday night, it should be pointed out that the squad rebuild is already well underway.
The club are closing in on the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m, while there is confidence that Liam Delap will arrive from Ipswich Town for £30m too.
Reliable sources have confirmed that the funds for buying the pair are not dependent on winning the Europa League.
Losing to Spurs will make things more difficult
Of course, Sheringham is correct to say that it will be harder to persuade players to make the switch to Old Trafford without the attraction of Champions League football.
United will also have less room to manoeuvre in terms of the transfer budget and some tough decisions will have to be made in terms of player sales.
What happens on Wednesday, it is going to be a massive summer, and it could prove a defining period in the club’s modern history.
Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here