"Just talking about the money" - Gary Neville makes surprise comment on Arsene Wenger's controversial opinion as Manchester United reach UEL final
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has said he agrees with Arsene Wenger's comments on whether Europa League winners should get a place in the Champions League. He opined that the value of the trophy and the focus have shifted to money.
Speaking on 'The Overlap' podcast, Neville recently reiterated Wenger's thoughts, saying the Europa League winners should not get a place in the UEFA Champions League next season. He believes the clubs should look to win the Europa League just for the value of the tournament. Neville said (via Metro):
"I agree a little bit with Arsene Wenger [that Europa League winners shouldn’t earn direct passage to the Champions League] purely because every game we are watching at the moment, we are just talking about the money at stake. Nobody is talking about winning the Europa League to win a trophy."
He added:
"The UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup used to be big trophies that clubs could win and you used to think ‘Wow, what an achievement.' Everything now is about a £60m game or a £100m game, the FA Cup has become devalued, really great competitions are becoming devalued."
After defeating Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate in the semifinals, Manchester United have reached this season's Europa League final. They will face Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao on May 21, despite both clubs struggling in the Premier League this season.
What did Arsene Wenger say about Manchester United and Europa League winners?
Arsene Wenger was on beIN SPORTS last week when he opined that the Europa League winners should not get a place in next season's Champions League. He argued that the Premier League already have five spots and that adding another via the Europa League is something UEFA need to check. He said (via Metro):
"No, they should qualify automatically for the Europa League again but not necessarily for the Champions League. 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 [of qualifying for the Champions League]."
While Manchester United beat Athletic Bilbao in the semifinals, Tottenham have reached the final for the first time after they defeated Bodo/Glimit in their last-four tie.
