Manchester United’s players were understandably devastated after losing to Villarreal on penalties in the Europa League final.Paul Scholes questioned whether losing hurt United’s players enough after they were beaten in Gdansk, but the reactions from the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford said it all.They were desperate to win this final. The Europa League runners-up medals United’s players received after the final whistle were immediately taken off by numerous members of the squad.In the eyes of some football fans on social media, this was a disrespectful act.United’s stars aren’t the first set of players to show indifference towards their runners-up medals - and they certainly won’t be the last - but is the criticism justified?
Man Utd players take off their Europa League medals
You can watch footage of United’s players discarding their runners-up medals here…
The likes of Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw and Mason Greenwood took the medals off as soon as they received them.
United's players criticised by fans on social media
Here’s some of the reaction from Twitter…
While the criticism isn’t entirely surprising, there will be many United fans left encouraged by the players’ reactions.
They surely wouldn’t have wanted them to look satisfied after receiving a runners-up medals.
United players can still be proud of the journey to Gdansk
On the other hand, what sort of example does this set to younger players and aspiring footballers?
Will we see every player take off their runners-up medals in the future? If so, is there any point even issuing beaten finalists with runners-up medals?
Reaching the final of any tournament is still an achievement to feel proud of and although United’s players will mostly feel regret and sadness when they think back to the 2020-21 Europa League final, the journey to Gdansk still contained some superb moments.
The victory over AC Milan in the Round of 16, defeating Granada in the quarters and beating AS Roma 8-5 on aggregate in the semi-finals were all fantastic nights for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his players and the club’s fans.