Amorim and De Ligt speak to the press
Amorim and De Ligt speak to the press
Ruben Amorim was flanked by his backroom staff when Manchester United arrived at the Reale Arena on Thursday evening. Earlier in the day, Amorim boarded the team bus with his confidants that ferried them from Carrington to Manchester Airport.
United had reserved car parking spaces at the airport just for the players. Club sources were at pains to stress it was not a cost-cutting measure and owed to a private event at Ringway Visitor Park.
Amorim's United era is not so much yet to take off as the wheels have come off. Cup eliminations, a possible worst league finish since relegation in 1974, redundancies and ticket-price hikes have caused supporters to mobilise. Another protest will be staged around the visit of Arsenal on Sunday.
United won at Real Sociedad just over two years ago when they were a growing force again. An ex-Ajax Dutchman and Portuguese speaker held court the last time United were in the Reale Arena for their pre-match engagement. It was the same again this time, with the roles reversed.
Matthijs de Ligt, sat to Amorim's left, signed for Erik ten Hag but their reunion was short-lived. Back in November 2022, Ten Hag was joined by Casemiro. Ten Hag spoke English and Casemiro Portuguese yet they spoke the same football language.
Casemiro, likely to start against Real Sociedad, admitted 28 months ago that he was "surprised" by how obsessed Ten Hag was with winning. The pair were kindred spirits in the hushed setting that evening.
Those feel like heady days now. United won against Sociedad two seasons ago but not by the required two-goal margin to top their group. That set up a pulsating knockout tie with Barcelona that United triumphed in amid raucous scenes.
The eyes of the world were on those games, a Europa League tie with a Champions League build-up. United may not be in either competition next season.
United have not gone two seasons without Champions League football since they re-entered the competition in 1993. There will be a £100million black hole in their finances should they not win the Europa League.
Some have suggested the Sociedad matches are United's most consequential since Alex Ferguson's sliding-doors moment at Nottingham Forest in January 1990. Amorim has borderline downplayed the win-or-bust doomsday scenario.
"I think it’s not the crucial thing for the future of the club, that is my view," he stressed. "I am here for three months. I think that is clear. But I understand it is a massive difference in our season, especially because we are out of the cups, in a bad position in the league, that will change a lot of things, even the way they see the coach.
Amorim speaks at the Reale Arena
"So I know that is a massive pressure. But I will say it again: Manchester United can have all the best players even without Champions League in the future, we have to change a lot of things and we are trying to do that.
"There are more important things than to win cups in this moment, that is my feeling. But I understand winning the Europa League can change things.
"What I mean is we have to think of the club as a long project, not just some things in this moment and if we win the Europa League we’ll be in an amazing position in the next years. Because the problems continue here, even with the Champions League.
"So that’s what I want to say. I know you make accounts of my season so I’m just trying to show that I don’t care and I’m really confident on the big goal of this club. I’m trying to show the big picture to our supporters.
Amorim speaks to the rights holders
"That is clear, I know what to do, but sometimes it’s a lack of results and you have to win games so I know consequences when you don’t win games but I am really confident since day one. A little bit more frustrated [now] but I am still confident."
Amorim will be grateful for the sunshine that has greeted United in the Basque Country. His tan has faded since his relocation from Lisbon to Manchester and he admitted himself he has aged ten years in two months managing United.
Ten players are unavailable through injury and Chido Obi was inexplicably omitted from the revised squad list United submitted to Uefa. Amorim is taking bullets by fronting up in up to four press conferences a week but he could shield himself better.
After it emerged United had farcically failed to add Obi to their updated European squad and had added Jack Fletcher, Fletcher also did not travel to San Sebastian. Only 18 players did, five fewer than United are permitted. Two are academy goalkeepers again.
Fletcher was on the bench at Tottenham last month
Fletcher, an attacking midfielder, last played in the FA Youth Cup epic against Arsenal on Friday and would have been a logical inclusion, if only to make up the numbers. Manuel Ugarte has entered a crammed physio's room at Carrington.
Instead, Harry Amass, who played the entirety of the Under 18s' two-hour epic at the Emirates Stadium, has been drafted in. Amass could be a suitable option for the 3-4-3 formation that Amorim is staunchly wedded to and defensive of.
"We talk about the system," Amorim bemoaned. "The system is not the problem, is the way of playing. You build up with three, two defenders and one midfielder going down. It is quite simple, I don’t see football like that. The problem of our team is not the system.
"We have a lot of problems, we are trying to work on these problems, of course every system needs different characteristics. But I was always really clear. I have one idea. I am still really confident because I have an idea how to play football. I will not change that, no matter what.
Amass played 120 minutes against Arsenal
"And I’m not talking about the system, it’s the way I see football, I will not change that. We are going to do it. Or not! We’ll see.
"He (Fletcher) didn’t train with us and he had a game before Fulham," Amorim added. "Amass is here today. In the last game against Fulham, we want Amass also but because he played all the game against Arsenal he was not in our squad.
"We try to manage all the teams there and try to imagine the substitutions and we know to bring some players is a big step and we are taking care of the expectation of the kids."
At least it sounds like they won't be thrown under the bus.