Did You Know? Five facts about Manchester United’s Europa League opponents FC Astana

This Thursday marks the return of the Europa League group stage, with Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United flying the Premier League flag.

Following United’s crushing Champions League quarter-final loss to Barcelona in April, boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping to mark his first full season in the Red Devils’ hot seat with European silverware.

The 2016/17 winners will kick-off their campaign against Kazakhstani outfit FC Astana, as the two clubs meet for the first time.

In fact, the match marks Astana’s first encounter against any English side, but the five-time Kazakhstan Premier League winners will travel to Old Trafford in high spirits after an aggregate 3-2 victory against Bate Borisov last month saw them qualify for the group stage of the competition.

Astana, nicknamed the Blue and Yellows, have only recorded one away win in their last 10 European matches. However, with the Red Devils unable to build up a head of steam in the Premier League yet this season, Roman Hryhorchuck’s men will know that Old Trafford is by no means the fortress it once was.

So how much do you know about United’s Kazakhstani opponents? Here’s five facts you might not know about FC Astana.

Man in Form

For any United fans wondering who Astana’s danger-man is, look no further than Croatian forward Marin Tomasov.

The 32-year-old attacking midfielder scored seven goals during the competition’s qualifying phase; a feat only exceeded by Alfredo Morelos of Rangers who netted eight times.

Tomasov is currently the joint-third top scorer in the Kazakh Premier League with 11 goals alongside an impressive haul of 14 assists.

His rich vein of form earned him a new contract at the end of August to keep him at the club until 2022.

With United’s defensive duo of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire still gelling, Tomasov could be the player to stun Old Trafford on Thursday.

Journeyman Manager

Although Astana’s manager Roman Hryhorchuk may not be a household name on these shores, the 54-year-old Ukrainian is certainly well-known in his home country.

In a career spanning from 1983 to 2001, striker Hryhorchuk scored over 130 goals during time spent at clubs mostly in Ukraine, but also during spells in Austria, Poland, Russia and Latvia.

His managerial journey began with Latvian outfit Ventspils in 2005 where, in his four years spent with the club, he won three league titles and two domestic cups.

Hryhorchuk guided Astana to their 2018 league title triumph and will be aiming to improve on the club’s Round of 32 exit during the 2017/18 Europa League campaign.

New boys on the block

While Manchester United’s history dates back to the early 20th century, FC Astana’s fails to even span a decade.

In 2008, Kazakh clubs MegaSport Almaty and FC Alma-Ata merged to form FC Lokomotiv Astana, and gained sponsorship from the country’s National Railway Company.

A year later, the club played its first game in the new Astana Arena Stadium, which also serves as the base of the Kazakhstan national side.

On 1st June 2011, the club was renamed as FC Astana, with 12 domestic trophies following its reformation eight years ago.

To put into context the gulf in history between Thursday’s opponents, when FC Astana was created in 2011, the Red Devils had collected a whopping 53 domestic trophies and five European titles.

Underdogs

Given the financial muscle of the Premier League, we have become used to seeing teams in the English top flight splashing out eye-watering amounts of cash to boost their chances of success.

As a result, Europa League ties involving Premier League sides often create a David vs Goliath dynamic and Thursday’s match between Manchester United and FC Astana is no different.

According to transfermarket.co.uk, the chasm in value between the two squads is a staggering £655million.

The website regards Astana’s most valuable market asset as the free-scoring Marin Tomasov, estimated at just £3.42million – significantly lower than United’s most valuable player in Paul Pogba, who has a £90million valuation.

Home Connections

3,463 miles is the distance between the sleepy English county of Norfolk and the Kazakh capital of Astana. The name Paul Ashworth might not mean anything to most, but the Norfolk-born, former Norwich City trainee is performing a vital role for Astana as the club’s executive director.

After failing to make the grade as a player, Ashworth set up his own football academy, PASS Soccer Academy. In 2001, he left England to manage Latvian side FK Ventspils, before moving to Russian side FC Rostov as sporting director.

In 2010, Ashworth left Eastern Europe to join Nigerian club Kwara Academy as technical director. At the start of this year, he was appointed executive director of Astana in a role which oversees the business and coaching departments of the club.