Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim has insisted he remains the right man to lead the club, despite their dismal Europa League exit following a 1–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
United’s hopes of salvaging a dismal season were dashed as Brennan Johnson’s first-half goal secured Spurs a Champions League spot and left United out of European competition altogether. The result compounded the club’s struggles, with United languishing in 16th place in the Premier League with just one game remaining.
Speaking after the match, Amorim refused to defend his position publicly, but maintained that he still has faith in his leadership.
“At this moment, I’m not going to stand here and defend myself, it’s not my style,” Amorim told reporters. “I have nothing to say to fans to justify that I’ll improve or explain problems. It’s about belief now. If the board or supporters feel I’m not the right person, I’ll walk away without any talk of compensation.”
Amorim’s future is under increasing scrutiny following a poor run of results, but he remains defiant.
“I won’t quit. I won’t leave. I’m confident,” he added. “Of course, I know next season the pressure will be intense, especially from the fans.”
The financial blow of missing out on Champions League football is also significant, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe estimating the cost at £80 to £100 million in lost revenue from broadcast rights, matchday income, and commercial deals.
“It’s tough for a club like us not to be in the Champions League, but now we must face that reality with a new approach including in the transfer market,” Amorim admitted. “It does give us more time during the week to plan and focus on improving in the Premier League.”
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United’s performance against Spurs was tentative and lacking in intent, particularly in the first half when defensive errors allowed the only goal. The team showed more urgency after the break, with late chances from Rasmus Højlund, Alejandro Garnacho, and Luke Shaw all denied by impressive saves.
“We weren’t perfect today, but we were better than the opponent in the second half,” Amorim argued. “We tried everything switching the centre-backs wide, putting in crosses, making runs into the box. But today just wasn’t our day.”
Questions have been raised about whether the team has regressed since Amorim took over from Erik ten Hag in October, but the Portuguese boss rejected such claims.
“I don’t believe we’ve gone backwards,” he said. “Yes, we’ve had poor results, but we’ve shown improvement in some areas. We’ve been more competitive, even in games where we didn’t score.
“I know I’m young, but if we had taken just one of the chances we created in the second half, this would have been a very different conversation.”
Amorim’s resolve is clear, he believes in his project, but knows the patience of the board and the fans will soon be tested.
