Manchester United are far from the force they once were and Andreas Pereira would struggle to even get into the Club Brugge team.
That’s the view of former Club Brugge manager Henk Houwaart, who has urged current boss Philippe Clement to deploy his strongest side at Old Trafford.
United drew 1-1 away in Belgium in the first leg but Houwaart thinks the tie is still there to be won against a United outfit that are far from their glory days.
And he name-checked Pereira as a player who would struggle to break into the Brugge team as an example of how far Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have fallen.
‘It is just a pity that this is not the Manchester United of yesteryear, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Giggs,’ Houwaart told HLN.
‘Like Pereira… That boy would have to fight to be in the starting line-up of Club Brugge.
‘I think it is such a shame that Club did not start with its strongest team at home, because then they would have won 2-0 or 3-0, but now it will be difficult, which does not mean that Club should no longer believe in it. [Philippe] Clement: go for your strongest and most experienced team.’
United should arrive at Old Trafford in confident mood after beating Watford 3-0 in the Premier League at the weekend, with Anthony Martial – who bagged in the first leg – scoring in his third consecutive game.
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