Rasmus Højlund Rejects “Save the Season” Talk Ahead of Manchester United’s Europa League Clash

Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund has spoken honestly about the club’s current struggles and shared his thoughts on their hopes of winning the Europa League this season.

It is not secret that United have had a disappointing campaign. The’re sitting 13th in the Premier League and have already been knocked out of both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup at early stages. The Europa League is now their only real chance of ending the season on a positive note.

United are preparing to face Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals. They’ll travel to France this week for the first leg before hosting the second leg at Old Trafford next week. So far, they are the only team left in the competition that have not lost a game, and many fans are hoping a Europa League win could secure them a spot in next season’s Champions League.

But not everyone at the club is fully on board with the idea that winning the Europa League would “save” their season. Head coach Ruben Amorim has made it clear that he is more focused on improving the team’s performance for the long term, not just winning a single trophy.

Rasmus Højlund shares that same view. Speaking to Disney+, the 22-year-old Danish striker said:

“If we don’t win the trophy, I wouldn’t call it a successful European season, because that’s what we’re aiming for.”

But more importantly, he disagrees with the idea that winning the Europa League would fix or cover up the problems the team has faced this season.

“I don’t like the word ‘save’. It means you kind of forget everything else that has happened,” he explained. “It can provide a foundation for next season if we can put some games together.”

Højlund’s opinion makes sense. Last season, Manchester United won the FA Cup in a thrilling final against Manchester City. While that win felt great for the fans, it didn’t cover up the fact that the overall season was not good enough and things have gotten worse since then.

So, while a Europa League trophy would bring joy to the fans and could even help the club’s finances, what really matters is the team’s improvement on the pitch. Winning the Europa trophy is important, but building a stronger, more consistent team is even more crucial.

Still, if Manchester United manage to win a trophy for the third year in a row despite everything they’ve been through it would be a sweet moment for the fans. But as Højlund pointed out, it should be just the beginning of a much-needed rebuild, not the end of the story.