Manchester United's pride at stake in Europa League final, says ex-player Paul Parker

With the current season being one of the worst in Manchester United’s history in the top flight, winning the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening will be about restoring pride for the former giants of English football.

The final will take place in Bilbao, Spain. Kick-off is at 9pm SA time.

Not only will a piece of silverware go down rather well for either side, but the winner will earn a place in the UEFA Champions League next season, which is possibly the bigger prize.

Former United player Paul Parker, who won one FA Cup and two Premier League titles during his time with the club between 1991 and 1996, gave a rather frank assessment of the current season and what winning the final against their London foes would mean.

Paul Parker's Candid Take on Manchester United's Season and Europa Final Aspirations

“We can pretty much say the season was put to bed a long time ago, it’s all about the final now,” Parker told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview.

“But I think he [Ruben Amorim] had to give up on the league, as a manager you have to be selfish. If you’ve got no ambition to win trophies for yourself, well then you shouldn’t be the Manchester United manager, it’s as simple as that.”

Having made over 100 appearances for United, Parker gave some insight on what playing in the trophy match would mean on a personal level for the players.

“This final is now just about personal pride and to see if our players have got enough about them to win the trophy.”

“Have the players got enough pride amongst themselves motivated for this one game? This one game is about one performance and result – and hopefully they can enjoy that."

@Michael_Sherman

IOL Sport