Dimitar Berbatov issues message of hope for Manchester United ahead of Barcelona quarter-final
Dimitar Berbatov has offered Manchester United fans reason for hope ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona.
Berbatov, now 38, made his name in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspure before a trophy-laden spell at Old Trafford, winning England’s top tier twice as well as lifting the League Cup.
And the former Red Devil has heaped praise upon the way Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revitalised United – who were looking helplessly out of sorts under Jose Mourinho.
The pinnacle of Solskjaer’s short reign so far has been United’s incredible 3-1 win away to Paris Saint-Germain, overturning a 2-0 deficit from the first leg in Manchester.
Their prize for that incredible comeback is a tie against Barca, who boast a Lionel Messi in ominously imperious form.
“We can’t write United off,” Berbatov told Betfair. “I don’t even need to mention the PSG game here do I?! Everything is possible.
“I saw Lionel Messi score that hat-trick against Betis. Wow! The guy just does whatever he wants to do, but he doesn’t do it in every game, and Barcelona have not won every Champions League in the last decade despite having Messi there.
“United must play as a team and support each other. It is the system that allows Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and, latterly, Romelu Lukaku to shine.
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“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has kept up the tradition of blooding the young talent at Old Trafford and the body language of those boys on the pitch is great to see, you can see the confidence. They have been given their chance and they have not disappointed.”
The former Fulham man added that the international break has come at the perfect time for Solksjaer’s men, who followed up their league defeat to Arsenal, their first under the Norwegian, by crashing out of the FA Cup against Wolves.
United’s talisman Pogba – who symbolises the team’s revival under Solskjaer – has been speaking about his future at the club after a sparkling run of form.
He has declared his admiration for Real Madrid – but Berbatov believes he will remain in Manchester for the foreseeable future.
“Paul Pogba is rarely too far away from the headlines but I’m not concerned about his Real Madrid quotes this week,” he added.
“I supported lots of other teams when I played for United because I was a fan of good football. I admired clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich.
“I don’t think there is anything to worry about here. We live in a world where you can say what you want and I can imagine the words being taken out of context.
“Paul will be a United player for a long time, as long as he and the club want to be together.”
Click here for more from Betfair Ambassador Dimitar Berbatov
