Manchester United have previously found success in domestic and European cup competitions as a route to redemption when all else falters.
Former striker Brian McClair is hoping that will be the case again ahead of his struggling former club's Europa League final showdown with Tottenham Hotspur.
For McClair, comparisons between Ruben Amorim’s inconsistent Man United side and the team he was part of in the early 1990s are easily drawn.
'Manchester United's record in Europe has something to do with the club and its history'
“I can understand comparisons between this current Manchester United team and our 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup winning team with regard to not having the best domestic campaign and still reaching a European final,” McClair tells FourFourTwo, speaking on behalf of betting experts Gambling.com ahead of the Europa League final, reflecting on the iconic 1991 triumph over Barcelona in Rotterdam that helped kick-start the glory days under Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
“It is very hard to really compare teams from different eras,” continues McClair. “We don’t have the same level of information, TV coverage or stats and things for bygone eras that we do now. But even still, some of those comparisons have to be considered fair.”
Indeed, United’s 1990/91 campaign was hardly vintage from a domestic standpoint. Ferguson’s side, reeling from a run of 11 league games without a win the previous season, finished sixth in the league, were knocked out of the FA Cup in the Fifth Round and lost the League Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday.
Yet, on the continent, they found salvation.
“You have to remember that British clubs were only just then allowed back into European competition after the ban [following the Heysel Stadium Disaster],” recalls McClair. “So it was a wonderful experience to be part of that, let alone winning the competition.”
That victory helped pave the way for the next two decades of domestic and continental success that followed. McClair believes that the same ‘big game’ resilience and late-game belief still lurk within the club’s DNA, despite recent league mediocrity.
“I think that has something to do with the club and its history. Of being really good in tight games, scoring late goals and having that belief that you can beat any team on your day,” he says.
That belief will be needed against Spurs. McClair believes the outcome of the Europa League final doesn’t just determine silverware, but could also shape the direction of United’s summer and beyond.
“There are two scenarios for Manchester United with regards to recruitment this summer,” says McClair. “One is no European football, which will happen if they don't win the game. And two is obviously with European football.
“It’s going to be a lot easier for Manchester United to bring in quality players with the added attraction of Champions League football, so the result of this game goes beyond silverware. It could have bigger ramifications for the winners and the losers.”
