Manchester United supporters are gearing up for a major protest against the Glazer family ownership ahead of their Premier League clash with Arsenal on Sunday. And United head coach Ruben Amorim has somewhat surprisingly welcomed the plans while insisting his focus remains on improving results.
"For everybody in our club, it's a really tough moment," Amorim admitted after Thursday's 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in the Europa League round of 16.
"It's everything at the same time. The only thing I can do and our players can do is perform well and win.
"People have the right to protest. I think it's a good thing to do that. It's part of our club. Everybody has a voice.
"But our job and my job is just to improve the team and to give them something in this moment because they deserve it, and they are amazing."
The upcoming match at Old Trafford has been dubbed 'Survival Sunday' as United, currently languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, aim to avoid further injuries ahead of their pivotal Europa League second leg four days later.
With a staggering 10 players out injured, Amorim's focus is on getting through the game unscathed rather than the result itself, a damning indicator of how the season has played out.
This fixture, once a highlight of the Premier League season, now takes a backseat to Thursday's critical European encounter.
It represents United's last chance to secure European football next term after their FA Cup elimination against Fulham last Sunday.
Amorim has voiced concerns about his squad facing exhaustion ahead of the crucial meeting, stating: "We need to survive Sunday.
"The team was so tired in the last 20 minutes [in the 1-1 draw with La Real]. We have to prepare for Sunday and think about this important game for our season on Thursday.
"So we just need to survive with the players on Sunday. I think the biggest problem is not having all the players.
"In the beginning, people talked about our rotation, especially in Europe, changing all the time, and it's because the Europa League is, in my opinion, so much harder than the Champions League.
"Not the games, but the recovery to then play in the Premier League on the weekend. So we have to deal with that. After this season, I will be ready for everything, so it's a good thing.
"When you are at this kind of club, you cannot think like that [rotating] with a small squad at this moment.
"We're trying to see all the players who are fresh and who are not in danger of getting an injury. Even with that, we will have to risk a little bit because we have to be competitive on Sunday."
On a promising note for United, 17-year-old striker Chido Obi will be incorporated back into the squad for Sunday’s fixture after sitting out of the Europa League match due to ineligibility.
None of United's injured players are anticipated to return in the coming week.
This article was first published in Mirror Sport