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Paul Scholes has joked that former Arsenal boss and FIFA chief Arsene Wenger isn’t too fond of Manchester United and Tottenham, after calling for neither side to earn Champions League qualification by winning the Europa League.
The Premier League sides currently sit 16th and 17th respectively and have lost a combined 39 matches in the top flight.
Yet, UEFA rules grant qualification for Europe’s premier competition by winning the Europa League, a stipulation Wenger voiced his objection to in light of the pair’s dismal seasons.
Ahead of the final at San Mames, Scholes’ former United teammate Rio Ferdinand claimed the Red Devils and Spurs are ‘probably the two worst teams’ to reach a European final.
Scholes, meanwhile, said on TNT Sports: ‘I don’t think Wenger quite likes United and Tottenham.
‘It could be eight [Premier League] teams, United got in this from winning the fa cup this year, but recent weeks the teams have targeted this, they knew going into the game they were resting players.’
Rio Ferdinand (left) and Paul Scholes (right) have conceded that Manchester United and Tottenham are among the worst teams to reach a European final
Arsene Wenger said that he believed neither side should gain access into the Champions League by winning the Europa League
Spurs come into the clash 17th in the Premier League and have suffered 21 defeats in the top flight
Ruben Amorim’s side enter the contest as favourites and sit a point and a place above Spurs
Ex-Tottenham player and manager Glenn Hoddle, added: ‘ The Premier League is such a powerful strong league, United and spurs have got there and look how they have played, for the two team to come here and lose 39 games is incredible.’
UEFA changed its rules in 2014 to allow the winners of the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League, but earlier this month Wenger argued the policy is ‘not right’.
‘No. They should qualify automatically for the Europa League but not necessarily for the Champions League,’ he told BeIN Sports. ‘Especially when you’re in the Premier League where already five teams qualify.
‘I think it’s something [for UEFA] to think about and to review.
‘On the other hand people will tell you that to keep the Europa League focused, interesting and motivated you need to give them that prize [Champions League].’
Since the rebranding of the Europa League, UEFA’s second biggest continental club competition, in 2009-10, no team lower than 12th has reached the final or won it.
Sevilla, 12th in LaLiga, lifted the trophy in 2023 while Fulham, who also finished 12th in the Premier League in the 2009-10 campaign, lost the final to Atletico Madrid in 2010.
United won the Europa League in 2018 during Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge and qualified for the Champions League despite finishing in sixth place.
Around 80,000 supporters have flown out to Spain for the game, despite the San Mames having a capacity of 52,114.
Both sets of clubs were allocated 15,000 tickets for the final, with thousands of ticketless fans still opting to descend on the city.
