Update: |I matched Harry Kane at Euro 2024 – now I’m planning to end Manchester United’s trophy hopes News

United take on Lyon in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday

Manchester United’s success or failure this season lies solely on winning the Europa League.

In a campaign that has seen United exit both domestic cup competitions, and with the Reds languishing in 13th place in the Premier League table, their run to the quarter-finals of the Europa League has offered some welcome respite from domestic struggles.

Ruben Amorim could end a difficult first season in charge with a trophy and the added bonus of qualification for the Champions League.

But standing in their way in the last eight is French side Lyon and if they are to go through they will have to come up with a plan of stopping their joint-top goalscorer this season, Georges Mikautadze.

The 24-year-old announced himself to a mainstream audience during last summer’s European Championships in Germany while playing for Georgia.

In his country’s first major tournament, Mikautadze scored in all three group games, including a famous 2-0 win over Portugal that saw Georgia progress to the last 16 of the competition which saw their attacking prowess praised by United legend Roy Keane.

Georgia would ultimately fall at that hurdle as they were beaten 4-1 by eventual winners, Spain, but Mikautadze’s performances left an indelible mark on the competition.

His three-goal haul was enough to see him win the competition’s golden boot alongside Bayern Munich duo Harry Kane (England) and Jamal Musiala (Germany), Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Barcelona star Dani Olmo (Spain) and Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz.

That summer saw him make the move from Metz to Lyon and he has since kicked on at club level, too, scoring 14 goals in all competitions so far this term.

Under Paulo Fonseca’s management, Mikautadze has tried to adapt his game to become more ruthless in front of goal.

“Of course, I’m a player who likes having the ball,” he said. “I talked with the coach about it, and we watched some videos together. He told me I don’t need to touch the ball too much.

“The key is scoring goals, which I did [against Montpellier]. We’ll see what else I can improve on. It’s a positive sign for what’s to come.”

Lyon are fifth in Ligue 1 and firmly in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League. They are also well placed in the Europa League and have already beaten fellow quarter-finalists Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt in this season’s competition.

They will prove to be a stern test of United’s credentials and if Amorim’s side are to progress, they will have to come up with a plan to keep a player quiet who knows how to perform on the biggest of stages.