Why Manchester United are so much better in the Europa League than the Premier League

There is another goal difference to consider with Manchester United: they have scored a whopping 12 goals in their four Europa League knockout ties and scored 12 goals in their last 12 Premier League games.

United put nine goals past Real Sociedad and Lyon at Old Trafford. They have mustered eight goals at home this calendar year in the league. United's last nine home league goals date back to December 7. Rasmus Hojlund has scored more goals in the Europa League than the Premier League.

You get the gist. The Europa League is not much cop. How else would the United side set to record the club's lowest top-flight finish since relegation in 1974 get this far?

Their resuscitation against Lyon shows United are a different beast in Europe's second-tier competition. Even this lot summoned up an improbable finale to rival Camp Nou in 1999 for its sheer shock factor.

United remain the only unbeaten team in the Europa League and the Champions League: seven wins and five draws from 12 games. As closely as Athletic Bilbao might have been watching United at Bournemouth on Sunday, they were effectively wasting their time.

The only usefulness for Athletic would have been to glance at United's starting XI, which signalled their probable team at San Mames on Thursday night. The hour-mark withdrawals of 30-somethings Harry Maguire and Casemiro was additional confirmation they would line up for the Europa League anthem.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin dubbed Ed Woodward, Andrea Agnelli, Florentino Perez and the rest of the treacherous Super League cabal as "snakes" four years ago. Yet Ceferin has overseen a Uefa-approved Super League, with the competitions more bloated and their quality diluted.

That is evident from two of the Europa