Manchester United are not favourites against Villarreal in a "50-50" Europa League final, according to Diego Forlan, who played for both clubs.

United face the LaLiga side in Gdansk on Wednesday as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aims to get his hands on a first piece of silverware in the role.

This is United's eighth major European final but Villarreal's first.

Forlan feels this history has skewed perceptions of the match, though, with Villarreal unbeaten in Europe this season and led by Unai Emery, who is aiming to become the first coach to win the UEFA Cup or Europa League four times.

"I don't think Manchester United is the favourite," Forlan told Stats Perform.

"People say Manchester United due to its history, what it means, and for being such a big club. No doubt it is.

"However, for the game, the past is useless, what counts is the present, the performance itself.

"That's why players for Manchester United are careful, because they know they can win but also they can lose, 50-50.

"Maybe people are underrating what Villarreal history has. It is a team who always compete very well. They play very good football and they can hurt Manchester United."

Forlan left United for Villarreal in 2004 and featured against the Old Trafford outfit when the sides met for the first time in September 2005.

He was absent for the return match two months later, however, and had left before their most recent clashes in 2008-09.

All four games between the sides have ended 0-0, making Villarreal the opponents United have faced most in their history without ever scoring.

The Red Devils might also be wary of Spanish teams' recent records against English opposition in finals, with the past nine meetings – since Liverpool beat Alaves 5-4 in the 2000-01 UEFA Cup – seeing the LaLiga side come out on top.

Emery was in charge for one of those nine, overseeing a Europa League final victory against Liverpool with Sevilla in 2015-16.

"[Emery] is a very experienced coach," Forlan added. "He has been coaching many years. He has won the Europa League and was also in the final with Arsenal when they lost against Chelsea.

"It is a guy that knows this competition very well. I think it is good for the team when you have a coach with the experience, the support that he has.

"It doesn't give you everything you need to win the final, but it gives you a little bit of support, which is good when you go into a game like this."

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Edinson Cavani's success at Manchester United has not come as a surprise to former Red Devils and Uruguay forward Diego Forlan.

Cavani has starred since joining United on a free transfer from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the 2020-21 season – the veteran's exploits resulting in a one-year contract extension.

The 34-year-old has scored 16 goals across all competitions this term – above his expected goals (xG) of 13.6 – as United prepare for Wednesday's Europa League final against Villarreal, having finished runners-up to Manchester City in the Premier League.

Cavani boasts a 128.9 minutes-to-goal ratio in 2020-21 – the best mark among his United team-mates, ahead of Bruno Fernandes (159.3), Marcus Rashford (192.1) and Mason Greenwood (254.0).

Forlan, who played alongside Cavani for Uruguay, hailed the in-form United star.

"Edinson Cavani is a great player, I know him. We played alongside each other for many years in the national team, I am really happy for him," Forlan said.

"Surprised? No. No, because I know his capacity and the way he plays. He is a very professional athlete, a good guy.

"So I am not surprised, I knew that he would be the player that he is now, and I am really happy for him that he will continue for one year more [at United]."

Cavani has scored five goals and provided two assists in only 247 minutes of Europa League action this season, averaging either a goal or an assist every 35 minutes – the best return of any player with at least 200 minutes played in the competition this campaign.

He could become the third player aged 34 or above to score in a major European final for an English club, after Gary McAllister (36) for Liverpool in the UEFA Cup final against Deportivo Alaves in 2000-01 and Didier Drogba (34) for Chelsea in the Champions League decider versus Bayern Munich in 2011-12.