Manchester United are preparing for their FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley and the club’s social media admins are making the most of the occasion.
Erik ten Hag’s men are looking to bounce back from their disappointing Europa League exit earlier in the week, with a win over Brighton setting up a mouthwatering finale against Manchester City next month.
The storied tournament provides an opportunity for Ten Hag to win his second trophy in his maiden campaign at Old Trafford, having already won the Carabao Cup earlier this season.
Just hours before the game kicked off at Wembley, the officials running the club’s Twitter account decided to have their own fun as they sent a cheeky jibe Arsenal’s way over the recent controversy surrounding the London club’s mascots.
Last week, a video published by the league leaders sparked outrage and debate among supporters after a young girl was invited to meet the Arsenal players she adored.
The young fan held up a shirt for the Arsenal stars to sign but supporters were quick to notice that no player interacted with the child, expressing their dismay on social media. It has become quite the story over the last week and now, United have responded in their own way.
As seen below, United published their own video of the manager and first-team players greeting their mascots ahead of the game and although that is common practise, the caption is not.
The video was accompanied by an identical caption to the Arsenal tweet which was the subject of intense backlash earlier this week.
Making memories with our mascot ❤️ pic.twitter.com/LjGWmzd2Vl
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 16, 2023
Making memories with our mascots ❤️#MUFC || #FACup pic.twitter.com/0l3qvLS2L9
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 23, 2023
United have had their fun before the game but focus will almost immediately turn towards getting the job done to set them on their way to yet another trophy in Ten Hag’s maiden year.
Picking up any kind of silverware in his first season was already remarkable for Ten Hag but doubling it would be unprecedented success when you take the challenges he has had to deal with into consideration.
The job does not end there, however, as the Dutchman will initiate phase two of his rebuild this summer, with a host of first-team regulars expected to depart the club.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho were among the players Ten Hag was willing to sell in order to refresh his squad.
