This week proved to be something of a mixed bag in Europe for the British sides, with some shining, Wolves and Rangers in particular and others, Liverpool and Tottenham, doing the opposite.
Manchester United fall firmly into the latter category after their uninspiring 1-1 draw against Club Brugge on Thursday evening.
United have made it clear they have no interest in the Europa League this season, particularly given a Champions League place is still attainable, and it showed in another drab performance.
And like both Liverpool and Tottenham before them, they’ve taken something of a beating in the national press in Belgium for their display.
Het Laatste Nieuws start the harsh dissection of United, describing them as a side ‘not nearly at its strongest’ and a ‘glorified B-team’.
Journalist Marc Degryse was particularly unimpressed, saying Manchester United ‘played moderately’ and ‘somewhat on autopilot’.
De Morgen go in a lot harsher than their fellow journalists, putting in plenty of jibes against Manchester United in their report.
For instance, they say Harry Maguire is ‘incomprehensibly’ the world’s most expensive defender, while Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata have their ‘best behind them’.
Indeed, they even suggest Manchester United were fortunate not to see Sergio Romero punished for a stamp on Emmanuel Dennis and their ‘football heritage’ got them ‘a little more credit’ than others would receive.
They conclude that ‘Manchester United was what you’d expect Manchester United to be’, which is both criticism and praise when you think about it.
Nonetheless, like Liverpool and Tottenham earlier this week, it’s fair to say that United didn’t exactly earn themselves any plaudits in the foreign media.
