Ruben Amorim stated he is willing to leave Manchester United without compensation if the club`s board and supporters deem it necessary for his departure.
However, the Portuguese manager currently has no plans to resign, despite the team`s loss in the Europa League final and their drop to 16th place in the Premier League standings.
Following the 1-0 final loss to Spurs in Bilbao, the 40-year-old Amorim appealed to the Red Devils fans, asking for their trust and belief that the situation can improve next season.
He commented, “Right now, I won`t be here trying to defend myself. That`s not my approach, I can`t do that. It`s genuinely difficult for me.”
“Therefore, I have nothing to show the fans or excuses like `I`ll improve because of this` or `I have these problems…`. I won`t make such defenses.”
“At this moment, it requires a bit of faith. Let`s wait and see.”
“I am always open; if the board and the fans believe I am not the suitable person, I will leave the very next day without discussing compensation.”
“However, I will not resign. I am very confident in my job. As you can see, I won`t change how I do things.”
However, reports suggest that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers fully support the 40-year-old manager they appointed. Club sources also indicate that the Old Trafford board has no concerns regarding his position as they start preparing for the upcoming season.
The Ineos owner was observed embracing his manager after the players received their runner-up medals at San Mamés.
When Amorim took charge in November, United were seven points adrift of a Champions League spot. They are now an astonishing twenty-seven points behind fifth place. They also missed their opportunity to qualify for Europe`s top club competition through the Europa League, failing to score in the Basque Country once more. This means United forfeited a potential £100 million in revenue.
Despite the defeat and lack of qualification, Amorim stated that the Red Devils already had a transfer strategy in place even if they didn`t qualify for the Champions League. He also suggested the club should use the lack of midweek European games next season to focus on improving their domestic performance.
He further stated, “We have two recruitment strategies. We need to acknowledge that it`s challenging for a club of our stature not to participate in the Champions League.”
“But we must utilize the alternative aspects.”
“If we have more time during the week to analyze and train, and consequently improve in the Premier League, that will become our primary focus.”
Analyzing the match itself, Amad Diallo`s energetic first-half performance offered little comfort for Manchester United during their poor 1-0 Europa League final defeat against Tottenham. Rasmus Hojlund continued to struggle in attack during what was one of the most disappointing European finals in years, as both teams demonstrated why they are likely to finish in the lower half of the Premier League table.
Spurs secured the win from essentially their first real chance in the 42nd minute when Brennan Johnson bundled in Pape Sarr`s cross, aided by a touch from United left-back Luke Shaw. Manchester United gained more possession after halftime, with Leny Yoro forcing a save from Guglielmo Vicario from a free-kick. However, clear opportunities for United were scarce until the final 15 minutes of the disjointed match. Despite late pressure during seven minutes of added time, Spurs managed to hold onto their lead.
United are returning to England today to prepare for their last game of what has been a disappointing season – against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Immediately after, Amorim will lead his squad on a week-long post-season trip to the Far East, including matches in Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Their pre-season tour in late July will be in the USA before the new season commences in mid-August.
Although his position isn`t at risk, Amorim conceded last week that failing to win the Europa League would intensify the pressure on him.
When asked if not winning the trophy would increase pressure, he responded, “Yes, certainly, if we don`t win. However, I am not worried about that.”
“I don`t want to use that as an excuse; it`s going to be genuinely difficult.”
“The patience of the fans and the media for next season will be extremely limited – we will need to be flawless.”
