(Credit: Imago)

Manchester United slammed after ‘disrespectful’ act toward Tottenham and UEFA

Bryan King is a former professional goalkeeper who spent six years as a senior scout at Spurs and 28 years in total in first-team scouting roles. He also spent eight years on Everton’s recruitment team and 11 years scouting at Aston Villa across two different spells. Tottenham News is delighted to share Bryan's expertise on all things Spurs on a daily basis.

Published on:

23 May 2025, 12:10 pm

Manchester United didn't cover themselves in glory as they were beaten in the UEFA Europa League final by Tottenham.

Ruben Amorim's future at Old Trafford is uncertain after the Red Devils were beaten by Ange Postecoglou's side in the Europa League final at the Estadio de San Mamés on Wednesday (21 May).

Spurs' first trophy lift in 17 years was marred after a shortage of medals meant some players were forced to celebrate without one, with UEFA issuing an apology for the mistake.

Meanwhile, Manchester United were also involved in a post-match incident which hasn't gone down well.

Amorim failed to deliver the Europa League at Manchester United (Credit: Imago)

Manchester United players remove runner-up medals

Son Heung-min and some of his teammates were forced to lift the Europa League without a medal.

Meanwhile, the United players did receive their medals, but some clearly weren't interested in keeping them on.

Trophy	Times Won
Division One	2
FA Cup	8
League Cup	4
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League	3
European Cup-Winners Cup	1

Spurs added another trophy to their collection

However, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King - speaking exclusively to Tottenham News - believes removing the runner-up medal is an act of disrespect.

"I wasn't a fan of Manchester United's reaction when they collected their medals," King said.

"Certain players took the medals off, which is a disrespect to Tottenham, a disrespect to UEFA, and a disrespect to the match they've just taken part in.

"I'm not sure how many clubs start in the Europa League, but it is an awful lot. There are only two that get to the final, and there are only two that are presented with gold and silver medals. A lot of those clubs would have loved to be in that position.

"Therefore, for certain players to remove medals, it isn't on. It's a bad image for young players. You lost, accept your silver medal, and go and applaud the other team who won. When are they going to grow up? You played, you lost, get on with it."

Son was without a medal when he lifted the Europa League (Credit: Imago)

Manchester United might struggle to move forward

United players removing their medals was a clear sign of frustration after they failed to get the job done against Tottenham in Bilbao.

Spurs will be playing UEFA Champions League football next season, while the Red Devils will spend a season out of Europe for the first time since the 2024/15 campaign.

As a result, this could hinder the club's summer plans and make it difficult to move forward.

Ruben Amorim