MANCHESTER, England :Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim insists he has no plans to walk away from the team, saying his heated comments after Sunday’s 2-0 loss to West Ham United came out of a sense of responsibility for their poor performance.
United are staggering to their worst top-flight season since they were relegated in 1974, with Sunday being their 17th defeat from 36 games and ninth loss at Old Trafford, what was once a fortress, and Amorim had said he may have to leave if their poor form continues.
“Since I arrived here, I was talking about the standards, and I cannot see the team having these results, especially in the Premier League, and say nothing, and not take the responsibility,” Amorim said during Wednesday’s media day ahead of next week’s Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.
“I have a clear idea what to do. I understand the problems of the team, so I’m far from quitting. What I’m saying is that we need to perform, and we had this season, in the future we need to perform, or else they will change us. That is a normal thing.”
United, who are languishing 16th in the Premier League, face a Spurs side who are also struggling domestically, sitting a place below Amorim’s team in the table.
The final on May 21 in Bilbao, however, offers both sides a lifeline with a berth in next year’s Champions League on offer.
Asked which he would find more rewarding, lifting the Europa League trophy or qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition, he said: “Champions League is more important, for everything, to prepare the next season, and we are supposed to be in the Champions League, Europa League here is not enough and you feel it here. This is the best way to help us to get to the top.”
Amorim confirmed that he had offered to pay for his United backroom staff to take their families to Bilbao next week, after being told by the club that his coaches, physiotherapists and support team would have to pay for those tickets.
“You know that we have a lot of things – people leaving, a lot of changing in the staff,” Amorim said. “In this moment for our club sometimes it is hard to understand when to give and when to take.
“It is complicated for the club to start giving to other members of staff – it is a really hard position. My reaction was to help. Then we talked to the players and the players had the same reaction – everybody wants the staff there and their families there.”
The lack of tickets for family comes amid United’s raft of cost-cutting measures that include their plan to eliminate around 150-200 more jobs, in addition to the 250 jobs removed last year.
Amorim is unsure what his squad will look like for next week’s final, with Leny Yoro, Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt and Ayden Heaven all injury doubts. They will not feature in Friday’s league match at Chelsea.
“I don’t know if they are going to be available, we are going to try to push,” the Portuguese said. “All the players want to play that (Europa League final) really bad.”
Amorim played for Benfica in the 2014 Europa League final, losing to Sevilla on penalties. The manager said there was little he could take from that experience to help prepare his team.
“I played the final as a player but I lost and it doesn’t matter,” he said.
