Man Utd's epic Lyon comeback revealed TWO harsh transfer truths

Tom Weber

Updated: 18 Apr 2025 09:02 BST
5 min read

Harry Maguire, Rayan Cherki, Man Utd — © IMAGO

Manchester United's comeback against Lyon on Thursday could be a season-defining one.

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The Red Devils fought back from 4-2 down to 5-4 in extra time thanks to a late offensive flurry - or, rather, a complete capitulation from Lyon - with Harry Maguire scoring the decisive goal.

The centre-back acted as a makeshift striker in the dying embers of the game, and his goal ultimately sealed progression to the semi-final stage of the Europa League.

The competition is Man Utd's only hope of still sneaking into the Champions League, which would secure the cash-strapped Premier League giants a much-needed boost in revenues and 'change everything' for the club's summer transfer window.

However, the fact that it even got to a point where Man Utd had to claw their way back from a two-goal deficit against a 10-man team revealed some ugly truths about the state of Ruben Amorim's team.

Man Utd need a complete offensive rebuild

Man Utd were 2-0 up and cruising at half time thanks to rare goals from Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot. But as has been customary over the past seasons, Man Utd failed to keep a clean sheet and Lyon scored twice in the second half before going a man down.

The game could have been dead and buried by the time the Ligue 1 side scored their first goal as Alejandro Garnacho initially did well to get into a 1v1 situation with goalkeeper Lucas Perri to make it 3-0. However, the Argentine couldn't beat the Brazilian.

It was a moment that nicely illustrated Man Utd's lack of a cutting edge. With the exception of captain Bruno Fernandes, Man Utd simply do not have a reliable scorer.

Garnacho is wasteful, has looked shackled and, at times, bereft of confidence this season. Rasmus Hojlund and the now-injured Joshua Zirkzee are not reliable providers of goals either.

It is, therefore, unsurprising that many supporters on social media joked after the game that centre-back Maguire is Man Utd's most capable senior 'striker' - because, well, he probably is.

Equally, Man Utd desperately need another creative outlet. Fernandes is a brilliant player, but he is not the kind of attacking midfielder who will win many sprint battles.

Lyon, on the other hand, had Malick Fofana, who terrified Man Utd's defence with his pace and directness, and the audacious Rayan Cherki, who managed to dribble through the Red Devils' midfield on more than one occasion.

Cherki isn't the fastest either, but he has enough pace to get well clear of his man after beating him on the dribble. With Garnacho misfiring and Amad Diallo out injured, Man Utd desperately need another direct, bold player like this.

Ruben Amorim needs to make sure that his players don't get carried away after this epic victory, which was just as much down to Lyon completely crumbling after going 4-2 up as it was to Man Utd's grit and determination.

Amorim will be well aware that this match highlighted more problems than it solved, including with his coaching. In extra time, he went for control rather than the kill, and it initially backfired spectacularly, with Lyon scoring twice.

After barely scraping past Lyon, Man Utd will now return to the Basque Country as they will face Athletic Club in the semi-finals. The Bilbao outfit will surely pose a tougher challenge than their rivals Real Sociedad did in the round of 16.

Athletic are comfortably fourth in LaLiga and are desperate to reach the Europa League final as it will be played on home soil at their San Mames ground in Bilbao. Man, Utd survived an ultimately scare against Lyon, but they will have to step up their game massively in the next round.

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