MANCHESTER UNITED WERE FORTUNATE NOT TO HAVE FACE GERARD MORENO IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.
(Image courtesy of ADAM WARZAWA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.)
Manchester United qualified for the Champions League last-16 after losing to Young Boys on the first match-day.
For a place in the quarter-finals of the world's best club competition, Ralf Rangnick's Reds will meet Diego Simeone's out-of-form Atletico Madrid.
However, things may have gone very differently if Villarreal's great scorer Gerard Moreno had been available for both games against the Red Devils.
Due to injury, the 29-year-old missed both games, and Unai Emery's team suffered as a result.
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The Europa League holders squandered numerous guilt-edge chances that could have been converted if their star player had been on the end of them.
United are well aware of the Spanish international, who scored the opening goal in the Europa League final in Gdansk in May.
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In the last Group F encounter, the Yellow Submarine's number seven returned from injury for the critical winner-take-all clash against Atalanta.
Moreno sent up ARNAUT for his second goal of the game, giving El Madrigal a 3-0 lead after 51 minutes.
(Image courtesy of Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Gian Piero Gasperini's side made it a grandstand finish in Bergamo with two late goals, but Emery's side hung on and qualified for the last-16, where they will face a Juventus side that appears to be in transition.
Since returning from injury, Moreno has four goals and two assists in five games since Michael Carrick led United to a 2-0 win at the El Madrigal.
Moreno has seven goals and three assists in 13 appearances this season. Injuries may have limited his hopes of improving on his 30 goals in all competitions from last season, but it appears only a matter of time before he's back in Luis Enrique's Spain group.
(Image courtesy of David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images.)
Manchester United took advantage of Villarreal's talisman's absence. One has to wonder how we would have fared if our number seven had missed three of our group stage matches.
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