Manchester United have secured a place in the Europa League semi-finals in a dramatic fashion.
The outcome of the two-legged tie against Lyon was decided in extra time at Old Trafford. Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire scored two late goals to help the Red Devils secure a 5-4 win over the French club.
Prior to the clash against Lyon, DAZN in Portugal had a chat with the Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim and A Bola have relayed his comments.
The 40-year-old has managed 33 games so far and Manchester United have won only 14 of them. They are currently 14th in the table with 38 points after 32 games and likely to finish in the bottom half this season.
Amorim was asked about his ambition for the Premier League club next season, and he said: “[It] is to win the first game of the championship. That is the only objective we have, but it is obvious that we have to be much more competitive, much more complete, otherwise it will not be possible to survive.”
The manager says it’s normal for his players to focus more on winning the Europa League than improving their league position in the coming weeks. Manchester United will have to overcome Athletic to make it to the Europa League final.
“The focus on the weekend is already a bit noticeable,” Amorim explained.
“The way we lost against [Joshua] Zirkzee was a very difficult moment in the game because we were already thinking about it. It’s normal for players to think about that. Not me so much, but it’s normal…”
DAZN asked the former Sporting boss whether he should compromise his philosophy to be a bit more result oriented. When responding to that, Amorim insists it’s best to suffer now and learn from it.
“I’d lose myself a bit. I’d be selling something I don’t believe in, and I find it very difficult to do that,” he added.
“And then I’ve always thought that in order to suffer everything we’re suffering this year, we have to use all the time. It’s better to suffer everything now. Taking a break from what we want and then restarting next season has never made much sense to me. I’d rather take a chance. It’s a gamble.
“In Portugal, you know better than anyone that this is very clear to me. If we take the risk, if we make all these changes, to suffer what we’re suffering, that’s the only advantage: rushing a bit and having a clear idea of what we need or don’t need for the team.”
