Robin van Persie believes Manchester United are in for a tough night against Sevilla, but backed them to come through an exciting contest.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are the last English side remaining in Europe this season after Man City’s shock Champions League defeat to Lyon. United are looking for their first silverware since winning the Europa League in 2017.
But Van Persie, while predicting a 3-2 win for United, warned his former side about the dangers posed by Sevilla in tonight’s semi-final.
“Sevilla have a very strong team,” said the BT Sport pundit. “They’re true cup fighters; they won the Europa League three times in a row, so they’re going to be a tough team to beat for Manchester United.
“Sevilla are playing so well – so silky, technical. Manchester United: they’re in very good shape now; they look fit, they look strong, they look ready.
“I would go for Manchester United, but Sevilla are a very, very good team, so a very close one. Man United 3-2 Sevilla.”
Win or lose, Van Persie is of the belief that United are back on an upward trajectory under Solskjaer.
He lauded the Norwegian for backing players like Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba at Old Trafford.
“Ole’s behind the wheel again, getting United going,” added the former striker. “Every coach always chooses his main guys, and even though Mason Greenwood is only 18 years old, he’s one of them.
“The manager gave him that confidence; he gave it to Anthony Martial, he gave it to Marcus Rashford, he gave it to Paul Pogba, and he gave it to Bruno Fernandes, and these guys are leading by example.
“They’re blossoming with the confidence they get from the coach. That suddenly makes them contenders, in the Europa League but in the Premier League as well in the near future.
“And it mostly comes down [to when] Fernandes arrived. He is like the engine of the team. You can see that Pogba likes to play with him, because Paul Pogba recognises a world-class player, so now they can boss games.
“The front three players, they’re on their toes, because that final, killer ball can always come, from Bruno or from Pogba.
“[In terms of] world-class midfielders, Pogba was alone and now he’s not, which makes the whole team tick better.”
Manchester Evening News
