Amorim issues Europa League ultimatum to struggling Manchester United

Ruben Amorim, the manager of Manchester United, has delivered a stark warning to his players, emphasizing their “big responsibility” to salvage what has been a dismal season by securing victory in the Europa League.  

United’s preparations for their Europa League semi-final second leg clash against Athletic Bilbao were far from ideal, as they suffered yet another Premier League defeat at the hands of Brentford on Sunday.

Amorim’s side slumped to a 4-3 loss, a result that leaves them languishing in 15th place in the league standings and facing the grim prospect of their worst final league position since their relegation in the 1973-74 season. 

The defeat extended Manchester United’s winless streak in the Premier League to six matches.

Despite late goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo offering a glimmer of consolation, the visitors had trailed Brentford 4-1, highlighting their continued struggles in domestic competition.

Amorim’s record since taking charge of United stands at a concerning 12 defeats in 24 league games, with only six victories to his name. 

However, on a brighter note, Manchester United hold a commanding 3-0 advantage from their Europa League semi-final first leg against Athletic Bilbao, played last Thursday.

This significant lead presents them with a clear pathway to Champions League qualification, provided they can secure the Europa League title. 

Acknowledging the contrasting fortunes of his team in different competitions, Amorim stated, “I think it’s stressful to lose games. When we’re fighting for a title it’s not stressful. I have no doubts that we are playing better and we are understanding the way we play, even in this context. So we have to take all the hits in this moment. We are losing games in the Premier League, but we are fighting for the Europa League so we need to accept that and to think about now Thursday which is the most important game for us.”

Amorim made a significant eight changes to his starting lineup for the Brentford match at the Gtech Community Stadium, a clear indication of his priority being the crucial second leg against Bilbao at Old Trafford on Thursday.

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Key players such as Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire were among those who started on the bench, underlining Amorim’s strategic focus on the European competition. 

“We, as a club, need to understand in this moment that we have a big responsibility (to win the Europa League). We have to prepare a squad for different competitions,” Amorim asserted. “Rotation is good for the players. Everybody is playing, we are preparing more than one game but it’s hard.

Of course we want to be competitive, we struggled a lot during these 90 minutes. We have to think about the next game and then the Premier League. It’s really hard but we are doing the best we can to try to manage the situation and try to risk in some games.”