Head coach concedes that his Manchester United side are not at Champions League level, but maintains that winning Europa League is essential for progress and for fans
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has delivered a sobering assessment of his side’s current standing, admitting they are not good enough to compete in the Premier League or even play in the Champions League.
“It’s a real dilemma,” said Amorim, “because I think we, in this moment, are not ready to play in the Premier League competitively and to be in the Champions League. We know that.”
The revelation comes after United fell apart against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Red Devils had taken the lead in the 14th minute of the game, but then conceded four goals to make it 4-1 as of the 80th minute. However, United did rally and score two late goals to bring the score to a respectable 4-3, and could have equalised if there was more time, given their momentum.
Amorim’s confession, while interesting coming from the manager himself, is hardly a secret, as United are currently 15th in the Premier League. Only two teams below Amorim’s side in the table are not getting relegated this season. It has led many football supporters to say that a United entry into the Champions League – by winning the Europa League – would be undeserved.
However, Amorim believes that winning the competition is still a must.
“We need to win and we need to fight to win this competition [the Europa League] to give something to our fans and to go to the Champions League,” said the Portuguese.
“Then we will have time to prepare the team to cope with those two competitions. It’s a dilemma but we want to win of course.”
