Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen aimed a brutal dig at Manchester United before the Champions League league phase draw.
Leverkusen were among the 36 teams included in the draw, which took place in Monaco on Thursday evening.
Whereas Man United will not compete in any European competition this season, having finished 15th in the Premier League and lost the Europa League final in the 2024/25 campaign.
The Bundesliga side were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain (h), Man City (a), Villarreal (h), Benfica (a), PSV (h), Olympiakos (a), Newcastle (h), Copenhagen (a) in the eight-match 36-team league phase - but it was what Leverkusen’s social media account posted ahead of the draw which really got people talking.
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The club posted a graphic of their draw slip emblazoned with ‘Bayer Leverkusen’, which was accompanied by the caption “Just hoping we don't get Grimsby...”
Of course, this comes less than 24 hours after United, who happen to be Leverkusen head coach Erik ten Hag’s former club, exited the Carabao Cup with a second-round penalty shootout defeat against League Two Grimsby Town.
And fans were quick to react to the dig on social media.
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One said: “You'll be crying soon with ETH as your manager.”
Another added: “It’s absolutely mad how the only way another club can get any attention whatsoever is by mentioning Manchester United’s name.”
A third commented: “Think Grimsby more likely to play Leverkusen than Man Utd in European fixture in the near future.”
While a fourth joked: “Every goal conceded, every red card, every misplaced pass, every loss, I will be there.”
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Pressure on current head coach Ruben Amorim has since gone up a notch, although he will be in charge for the weekend’s Premier League clash against Burnley at Old Trafford.
As for Ten Hag, he has taken charge of just one Bundesliga match since arriving in Germany and saw his side fall to a 2-1 opening day loss against Hoffenheim on August 23.
The 2023/24 German champions will return to action against Werder on August 30.
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Ten Hag has a relatively respectable record in the Champions League, having previously led Ajax to the semi-finals in 2018/19.
Out of 38 Champions League games he’s managed, the Dutch head coach has won 18, drawn eight, and lost 12 fixtures.
Topics: Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester United, Champions League, Football, Erik Ten Hag, Ruben Amorim
Luke Davies