Let’s be truthful: this Europa League final was always about the trophy for Tottenham Hotspur and the chance to rid a tiring moniker following a 17-year silverware drought, but, for Manchester United, it was different.
They had won two trophies in the previous two campaigns — the 2023 League Cup and the 2024 FA Cup — and so, although a third title in three seasons and a sixth European trophy would have been gratefully added to the cabinet back at Old Trafford, this was viewed more as a means to an end.
No Europa League title means no Champions League football next season. Using the backdoor into Europe’s elite competition was what Ruben Amorim and his players had been holding out for but now United will miss out on European football completely for only the second time in 35 years.
Clearly, United do not deserve to qualify for the Champions League. When the anthem sounds in August heralding the start of the highest-quality club competition around, they will not be missed.
Their worst top-flight season since relegation in 1973/74 has seen them lose 18 of their 27 league games, with just ten victories, and defeat at home to **Champions League**-chasing Aston Villa in Sunday’s final game would mean not even 40 points have been amounted this term.
So, this is not a hard luck story; their horrible league campaign suggests they are not ready for the Champions League — something to which Amorim himself has previously eluded.
Crucially, though, it is the financial windfall that United will miss out on that will cost them most. Riches of £100m would have come their way had they booked a place in the Champions League, that would have given a real boost to attempts to overhaul the squad.
Getty: Clive Brunskill
Getty: Clive Brunskill
After the defeat in the final to Spurs in Bilbao, Amorim said they had “two plans” as to how the club move forward. “*Even for the market and we need to understand it is tough for a club like ours not to be in the **Champions League.***”
Speculated transfers, such as a £60m move for **Wolverhampton Wanderers**’ Matheus Cunha, will have to be reviewed given the confirmed financial backdrop. Liam Delap, another touted incomer, will not be a straightforward acquisition, either. It may be a summer transfer that resembles an episode of Bargain Hunt.
However, forget the loss of earnings and the lack of European nights at Old Trafford next term, and one positive does emerge. Fewer games should allow Amorim a lot more time to work with his players.
“*We will have more time and have time to be better during the week and in the Premier League and that will be our focus,*” the United head coach said as he sought favourable takeaways from United’s fourth defeat in five European finals.
More training time could be a blessing
Being able to spend more time on the training pitch will certainly be a blessing in disguise for Amorim, who may also benefit from fewer injuries given there will be less demands on his players with a reduced schedule.
Since taking over in November, Amorim has appeared desperate to spend more time coaching his players, working on shape and system and developing a coherent team. A deep run in Europe has largely prevented that.
One could even argue that United’s long-term growth is better served by spending a season out of Europe and building very much from the bottom up. A leaner, not bloated, squad will also be needed and presents an opportunity to trim without abandon.
Amorim will be the man, initially at least, to try and turn this club around. “*Yes, I’m confident that I’m the guy, more so now than at the beginning,” he added. “Because I know the club, I know what it means to coach this club, I understand what this team needs. I have more tools to do my job.*”
However, the players who he will be working with is questionable. “*I think all of us have to question ourselves. Are we good enough to be here?,*” raised an honest Luke Shaw.
The defender, who couldn’t stop **Brennan Johnson*’s winning goal going in off his arm, admitted that “something has to change” but added that “Ruben is 100 per cent the right person. I think he knows what he needs to change.*”
Getty: Justin Setterfield
Getty: Justin Setterfield
Amorim needs players who fit his style of play, that’s for sure. It was apparent with the acquisition in the winter transfer window of Patrick Dorgu, a wing-back who knows how to play the position, and that he was straight into the starting lineup and has hardly left it since.
There are positions all over the pitch that require improvement but United have to sell an awful lot before they can buy. Only a handful of players are considered unsellable (Bruno Fernandes, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire and Amad Diallo), the rest all have a price.
Evidently, given United’s lack of goal threat in the final and for much of this season, attacking players are a higher priority. Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have shown they are not yet equipped to lead a United attack.
Alejandro Garnacho, disappointed not to be chosen to start against Spurs, cast doubt over his future by saying: “*Until we reached the final, I played every round, and I played 20 minutes today — I don’t know. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next.*”
A campaign that everyone associated with United now wants to end quickly moves into a post-season tour of Asia. After the summer break, though, it will be back to basics with time — if not money — on Amorim’s side.