Gary Neville agrees with Roy Keane after Arsene Wenger sparked Man Utd fury

Manchester United and Tottenham can secure Champions League qualification with victory in the Europa League final – but the pathway has been questioned by the likes of Gary Neville and Arsene Wenger

Gary Neville claims the glory of claiming the Europa League has been diminished – with teams only seeing it as route into the Champions League. Tottenham and Manchester United will contest the final in a matter of weeks, but all the talk is of securing a spot at Europe’s top table.

Their exploits in the Europa League have covered for dire Premier League campaigns for both teams. The Manchester outfit and Tottenham will both finish in bottom half of the table, yet could be one of the six English teams in next season’s Premier League.

Arsene Wenger recently angered both Spurs and United fans, when came out and suggested that the winners of the Europa League should not be granted a route into the Champions League. Instead, he suggested winners should handed a chance to defend their title if they hadn’t qualified automatically.

Roy Keane was in full agreement with Neville also claiming the ex-Arsenal manager had a valid point with all the talk surrounding the Europa League centring on the possibility of Champions League revenue – not the chance to win a historic trophy.

He said: “Arsene Wenger said 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.

READ MORE: Roy Keane leaves Ian Wright in stitches with perfectly timed Eni Aluko commentREAD MORE: Ange Postecoglou fires clear dig at Premier League rivals as Spurs land final spot

Keane quickly responded and said: “I agree with that. I think it’s spot on. To have five or six teams.. It’s called a Champions League.” The Irishman also added: “I think that’s kind of the incentive for smaller teams, they could get in through the back door. But Man Utd lose loads of games last year, losing loads of games this year. Spurs are the same.”

Of the last five winners only Sevilla in 2020 and Atalanta last year won the Europa League but also qualified for the Champions League in their own right following their league performances. Frankfurt in 2022 and Sevilla the following year both landed Champions League spots despite finishing in the bottom half that season.

Neville underlined the fact that the landing Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup, was once seen as a huge achievement but is now secondary to the financial implications involved.

“I do actually agree a little bit with Arsene Wenger,” he said. “Every game we watch at the minute we just talk about the money at stakes. No one is talking about winning the Europa League to win a trophy.

“UEFA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup used to be big trophies that club could win. Now, the first thing you hear is ‘yeah you get the Champions League, it’s a £60m game’. The Fa Cup has become devalued, really great competitions have become devalued.”

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