United midfielders hope for deja vu against PSG

Monday 19 October 2020 12:53

Manchester United midfield duo Fred and Scott McTominay hope to experience deja vu on Tuesday night - by replicating the feeling of beating Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc de Princes.

The pair both played in our memorable 2019 victory in the French capital, where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s injury-ravaged squad won 3-1 to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. 

That electrifying victory was aided by a dramatic Marcus Rashford penalty in the 94th minute and the memories are still strong, as the Reds prepare to face PSG again in this season’s group-stage opener. 

“The Champions League is always brilliant,” says Fred, who was recalled to our starting XI at the weekend. “It's somewhere that Manchester United should have never been away from and we should be competing in the Champions League every season. 

“We have good memories against PSG and I remember that night [in 2019] like it was yesterday. We got a great result there and a real turnaround after the bad result we had against them at home. 

“That's how Manchester United needs to be, always. We have to get big results. We're a massive club and we have to always be doing our best to get big wins. I hope we have a good start in the Champions League this season, get off on the right foot and on our way to qualifying.”
McTominay, who earned praise for his performance against Newcastle, is also looking forward to revisiting a stadium that stands out in his fledging career. 

“I’m sure everyone will be excited to go back to the Parc de Princes,” he says. “Last year was probably some of the best memories you’ll ever have on a football pitch. For us we want deja vu. 

“It’s a real shame the fans can’t be with us for the games, hearing that Champions League music again and seeing the games. We’re hoping and praying that the fans can come back and the whole world can get back to normal as soon as possible.

“It’s been a terrible thing what’s happened for everyone in the world and it must be so difficult for everyone involved. But for us it’s so important to get our fans back safe and sound.”
United are of course set to face Ander Herrera for the first time since the Spaniard left for PSG during the summer of 2019 and our current midfielders are full of praise for their old team-mate.

“He's a great guy and someone I met here at the club,” says Fred. “He is a great player and doing very well at Paris. We wish him and the PSG players all the best, but we're aiming to win the match and we'll do everything to have a great game.”

Echoing that sentiment, McTominay told us “I love Ander, he’s a great guy. The Spanish boys are top, top people and really caring people as well. Ander was for me and he helped me a lot. We still speak every now and again. It’ll be a good little battle, that.”

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