Match of the Day host Gary Lineker has questioned Villarreal star Francis Coquelin's comments aimed at Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ahead of the Spanish side's Champions League semi-final against Liverpool, Coquelin took aim at Ferguson after a comment he made on United's famous 8-2 victory over the Gunners in 2011. Ferguson wrote in his autobiography: "Arsenal played a young boy in midfield; Francis Coquelin.
"He was completely out of his depth. I had hardly heard of him and he barely played again."
The quote clearly stuck with Coquelin, who recalled looking for Ferguson after Villarreal beat United in the 2021 Europa League final. He told RMC Sport : "A feat [winning the Europa League], but also a little revenge.
"When I made my Arsenal debut, we lost 8-2 at Old Trafford. At the time, I took a dig from Sir Alex Ferguson in his biography. So, it was a nice little kickback to win the Europa League against them. Besides, I think he was in the stands. Lifting the trophy in front of him was nice. I looked for him, I didn’t find him, but he must have seen me."
Lineker has now questioned why the victory in Gdansk was any sort of revenge against the former United boss. He tweeted: "Is he aware that Sir Alex is no longer the manager of Manchester United?"
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
