Manchester United’s Europa League final sole focus, says Ruben Amorim

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said the Europa League final berth is the sole focus of the club. United won the first-leg semifinal of the tournament against Athletic Club by 3-0 and they would look to seal their final spot when they would take on the Spanish Club on Thursday at Old Trafford.

It has been a forgettable season for the Red Devils as they are languishing at the 15th place in the Premier League standings. Amorim’s men also suffered a 4-3 loss against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday. This was the 16th loss of the season for United as their dismal show continued.

“We as a club we need to understand in this moment we have a big responsibility. We have to prepare a squad for different competitions,” Amorim said in a post-match interview.

“I have no doubt that we are playing better. So we have to take all the heat. 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.

“It is good for the players that everyone is playing. We want to be competitive. It is really hard, but we are doing the best we can.”

If United go on to win the Europa League, they would automatically qualify for the next term’s Champions League. The Portuguese manager said they need to give something to their fans this season.

“We are not ready to play Premier League competitively and be in the Champions League, but we need to win and we need to win this competition to give something to our fans,” he added.

“Then we will have time to prepare the team to cope with those two competitions.”

United midfielder Mason Mount said winning the Europa League is the most important thing for them.

“The season we’ve had in the Premier League is something we need to look at massively,” he said. “But if we can get into the final and win that, it’s a positive end to the season.”