Villarreal star Francis Coquelin has taken aim at Sir Alex Ferguson after the former Manchester United manager wrote off the midfielder during his time at Arsenal.
Coquelin is preparing to face Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final this week, with Villarreal having proven to be the surprise package of this season’s competition. The Spanish side have knocked out Juventus and Bayern Munich on their way to the last four.
Their latest European run comes after they beat United in last season’s Europa League final to secure a spot in the Champions League. The Yellow Submarine beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side on penalties as manager Unai Emery continued his impressive record in the competition.
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Coquelin came on as a substitute during that final, and has since played a part in Villarreal’s run to their semi-final meeting with Liverpool. And in scoring in the shootout against United, the 30-year-old managed to finally get one over on Ferguson.
The legendary United manager wrote about the midfielder in his autobiography, having come up against him during the Reds’ famous 8-2 win over Arsenal in 2011. Coquelin made his first-team debut on that day at Old Trafford.
“Arsenal played a young boy in midfield; Francis Coquelin,” Ferguson wrote. “He was completely out of his depth. I had hardly heard of him, and he barely played again.”
Ferguson’s words stuck with Coquelin, and the Frenchman has admitted in the build-up to his side’s clash at Anfield he took joy in lifting the Europa League in front of the former United manager last year. Looking back on the game, Coquelin described the final to RMC Sport as: “A feat, 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.”
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