Manchester United’s stunning Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain has left Dimitar Berbatov beaming, with the former Red Devils star reminding fallen French foes that they need to “respect the giant”.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side headed to Parc des Princes on Wednesday aware that they needed to overturn a two-goal deficit against the Ligue 1 title holders in order to keep their continental dreams alive.
Few outside of Old Trafford gave them much of a chance against star-studded opponents, but two goals from Romelu Lukaku and a VAR-assisted penalty from Marcus Rashford turned the heavyweight tie on its head and secured a notable scalp.
Nerves and pressure appeared to get the better of the home side on the night, with PSG accused by ex-United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez of not showing enough respect to a side that always had the potential to leave them humbled and heading out of Europe.
Berbatov has echoed those comments, with the Bulgarian taking great delight in seeing a heroic showing from United complete what many considered to be an impossible mission before a ball was kicked.
He said in a video on his official Instagram account: “People! We need to talk about last night.
“What a night! Unbelievable, unforgettable. A special night in Paris, from Manchester with love.
“It doesn't matter how many injured players or suspensions you have. If you play as a team, probably you are going to win, the team is above all. The most important word in football - 'team'.
“They said it was not possible, 2-0 down is too much to overcome and PSG were too strong.
“What are you going to say now? The truth is you forgot one small detail, this is still Manchester United.
“It doesn't matter what is happening, where you are in the table. In the end, respect the giant or you'll suffer.”
United had headed to Paris without the services of the suspended Paul Pogba and a number of injured senior stars.
Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata were among those unavailable to Solskjaer.
Those asked to step in flourished on the grandest of stages, with the Red Devils now waiting to discover who they will face in the last eight – with the draw set to be made on March 15.