It has not exactly been the season Manchester United were hoping for under Erik ten Hag, but the Champions League campaign had to have been the biggest disappointment.
After a third-place finish last season, Manchester United were once again back in the big time. The UEFA Champions League. Anticipation and excitement grew for Erik ten Hag‘s first shot at the European big-time at the helm of the Red Devils.
This excitement quickly turned to disappointment. After a sea of bad performances and shocking results, Manchester United actually achieved their worst-ever finish in the group stages – finishing dead last with 15 goals conceded. Now, it also looks like the Red Devils won’t be playing in the competition next year. Despite fifth potentially grabbing a spot, United are still miles off the pace in the Premier League.
To make matters worse, their noisy neighbours in Manchester City are just two steps away from yet another Champions League Final. Pep Guardiola’s side take on Real Madrid tonight, with Red Devils fans firmly taking the side of the La Liga giants.
Real Madrid fans take over Old Trafford!
It appears with United showing love to Los Galacticos, Madrid fans are also showing some back! They were spotted taking over Old Trafford at a stadium tour today before they face a clash with the Cityzen’s.
Andy Mitten of The Athletic posted that he’d seen a load of Madridistas in the club museum.
Then a video emerged of the rowdy lot. They look in good spirits before their showdown with the current treble winners.
Altay Bayindir rooting for Real Madrid
One Manchester United player who will be rooting for not just Madrid, but for an individual player will be Altay Bayindir.
He is the international and former Fenerbache teammate of an absolute superstar wonderkid, who we actually wanted at United in 2023.
Arda Guler is set to be one of the next big things in football, and Bayindir wasted no time in welcoming his Turkish compatriot to Manchester. He seemingly met him in what looked like the airport when the Madrid flight arrived last night.
He added a four-word message to accompany the photo, which was in Turkish but translates to: “Welcome my dear brother.”
Guler likely won’t feature tonight, having only played seven times since his move from Fenerbache. However, Bayindir will definitely be on Team Madrid as they try to foil Guardiola’s 2024 plans for silverware.