Manchester United are under immense pressure to secure European football next season, and their Europa League last-16 second-leg clash against Real Sociedad at Old Trafford is shaping up to be a crucial fixture. With the tie level at 1-1 following the first leg in Spain, Christian Eriksen has acknowledged the significance of Thursday’s match, as United’s hopes of continental competition next season hang in the balance.
Their league position further underscores the importance of the Europa League. Following a 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League, United find themselves languishing in 14th place with 34 points, trailing Aston Villa by 11 points for a potential Europa Conference League spot. With no chance of qualification via domestic cup success, the Europa League remains one of their last avenues to salvage their season.
Eriksen admitted that the team is fully aware of the stakes involved. “It’s massive,” he said. “We know the pressure, we know the situation we’re in in the league. To get into Europe next season, we have to win a lot of games in the league or go through the Europa League, so we know there’s a lot of pressure on that game.”
Despite their struggles, Eriksen emphasized that United must embrace the expectations that come with playing for a club of their stature. “It also comes with being at this club. You play for trophies, so we have to play well to go through,” he added.
Reflecting on United’s current struggles, Eriksen stressed that their position in the Premier League is far below the club’s standards. “It’s where they belong, but we don’t belong in the lower half of the Premier League either,” he said. “We will try to do our best to get up the league, we’re not in a position we want to be in. We want to be higher. We’re at United, so we have to be higher. But in the end, the ball is still rolling on the pitch, so we have to focus on the football and look at the table hopefully at the end of the season when we end up higher.”
Adding to United’s concerns is the ongoing goal drought of Rasmus Højlund. The 22-year-old striker has now gone 20 consecutive appearances without scoring, with just seven goals in 37 games across all competitions this season. His last goal came three months ago in the Europa League against Viktoria Plzen.
However, Eriksen defended his fellow Dane, insisting that the responsibility for United’s scoring woes does not rest solely on the young striker. “There’s a lot of players on the pitch, me included, that should score some more goals, it’s not just him,” Eriksen said. “But he’s a striker, he lives for the goals, and tries to score goals.”
The midfielder expressed confidence that Højlund will rediscover his scoring touch soon. “He’s in these situations, now it’s about getting the belief of scoring, but he’s a hard-working guy who tries his best and wants his best for the team. At some point, it will click and it will go the other way.”
With a crucial Europa League fixture ahead, United must find a way to rise to the occasion. The pressure is on, and Thursday’s match could define the remainder of their season.
