Ruben Amorim has for the umpteenth time, spoken out against his side’s lack of readiness to compete regularly following another Premier League defeat at the hands of Brentford.
Ruben Amorim has delivered a sobering reality check for Manchester United fans, admitting his side is “not ready” to juggle the demands of both the Premier League and the Champions League, following a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Brentford and a fresh injury setback to key defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The Portuguese tactician, who made eight changes to his side ahead of Thursday’s crucial Europa League semi-final second leg, didn’t mince his words after watching his team collapse defensively — a problem made worse when De Ligt was forced off injured just 35 minutes in.
“We are not ready to play Premier League competitive and be in the Champions League,” Amorim confessed to Sky Sports.
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Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim || Image credit: Imago
Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim || Image credit: Imago
“But we need to win, and we need to win this competition to give something to our fans. Then we will have time to prepare the team to cope with those two competitions.”
Despite flashes of progress under Amorim, United remain stuck in 15th place in the league, and their only realistic path back to Europe’s top table now lies in winning the Europa League.
De Ligt’s early withdrawal compounded the manager’s frustrations. The Dutchman — making his first start since April 1 — collided with Yoane Wissa during Brentford’s second goal build-up and had to be replaced by Harry Maguire, who he had displaced just days earlier in the 3-0 first-leg win over Athletic Bilbao.
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De Ligt suffers head injury || Getty
Mathjis De Ligt is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering another injury. Image || IMAGO
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Amorim didn’t hide his fears about the defender’s condition.
“I don’t know so I’m really concerned,” he said. “Not about Thursday — we took off Luke Shaw at half-time to protect and have players for Thursday — but I’m more concerned whether it is a small or big injury and thinking about next season.”
Still, Amorim believes the team is showing signs of improvement, even if the results don’t reflect it yet.
“I have no doubt that we are playing better,” he said. “At this moment we are losing games in the Premier League. We are fighting for the Europa League and Thursday is the most important game for us.”
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Addressing the chaotic loss to Brentford, Amorim pointed to his side’s lack of aerial strength due to the many rotations.
“We started well, we controlled quite well and then throw-ins and set-pieces were a problem for us,” he explained.
“That is normal for us because we didn’t have the height with the team. We fought back and we were near — we tried to push and in the end we lose.”
With injuries piling up and pressure mounting, United’s Thursday clash with Bilbao could define the narrative of Amorim’s first season — one that now rests on survival and silverware.
