Manchester United will have a chance to rebuild without European distractions next season but it remains to be seen whether Ruben Amorim is part of that project
Ruben Amorim frustrated during the 2025 Europa League final
Ruben Amorim was left frustrated during Manchester United's Europa League final loss
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Image: Getty Images)
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So Ruben Amorim got his wish for Manchester United to not be involved in the Champions League next season after all. But at what cost? United's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final means there will be no European football for United for only the second time in 35 years.
Given the shambolic season they have endured since his arrival, Amorim has long felt United would be better off without the added burden of Europe next season. Amorim believed the best scenario would be no European commitments next season, giving him more time to work with his squad, without the burden of additional games the players are clearly not equipped for.
Such a view is a damning indictment of where United now find themselves – a club that once ruled at home and abroad, but one whose manager feels is better off not embarrassing itself on Europe's biggest stage.
Given how lamentably United performed in Bilbao, Amorim's belief that a season out of Europe could ultimately work in their favour – short-term pain for long-term gain – looks to be well-founded. But United's failure to win in Bilbao – and with it a place in the Champions League next season worth up to £100million in revenue – means more tough decisions will need to be taken at a club that has already embarked on mass redundancies to cut costs.
With fewer games, Amorim will have to operate with a smaller squad, and without the financial income from a European campaign, players will have to be sold to generate revenue. United are also now likely to struggle to attract their first-choice transfer targets, given they cannot offer prospective signings European football, just a thin set of domestic fixtures.
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The club are paying the price for more than a decade of mismanagement and poor recruitment in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. That has now caught up with the fallen giants and defeat in Bilbao will only serve to prolong their stay among football's supporting cast.
Amorim, not for the first time this season, issued a 'back me or sack me' ultimatum moments after the final whistle in Bilbao, offering to go without compensation if the United hierarchy felt that was best. United insisted Amorim's position would not be under threat, whatever the result in Bilbao, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his cronies have previous for going back on their word – just ask Erik ten Hag and former sporting director Dan Ashworth, both sacked after initially being backed.
Ruben Amorim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe after the 2025 Europa League final
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will have a decision to make on Amorim's future
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Image:
PA)
It remains to be seen if 40-year-old Amorim suffers the same fate. After Sunday's final game of the season against Aston Villa, United fly straight to the Far East for a two-match post-season tour worth £10m.
It is the last thing Amorim and his deflated players want to do, but says everything about United's dire financial state that they are now forced to hawk their players across the other side of the world for exhibition matches to boost their flagging finances.
Amorim has been outspoken during his time at Old Trafford (
Image:
UEFA via Getty Images)
But the biggest call United face this summer is Amorim, whether to stick or twist. More than three decades ago, with United regressing under Ferguson, the board were under pressure to sack him, but held their nerve and went on to enjoy an unprecedented era of success.
Will the current board show Amorim the same faith? Only time will tell. But if they decide to cut their losses, United will find themselves back to square one, with no guarantee the next man in charge will fare any better.
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