Amorim stands firm after United’s Europa League heartbreak

Manchester United’s season hit a new low in Bilbao as a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur condemned the club to a 16th-place Premier League finish and its first year without European football since 2014. Under Ruben Amorim, who arrived in November, United have taken just 24 league points from a possible 84, conceding 1.7 goals per game while exiting all three domestic cups. The Portuguese coach, whose 34-match record now reads nine wins, ten draws and fifteen defeats, nevertheless vowed to stay—unless fans and directors explicitly want him gone.

Club captain Bruno Fernandes backed his compatriot, stressing that Amorim’s high-press blueprint “has already laid foundations the table doesn’t show.” Luke Shaw echoed that sentiment but admitted the squad “hit rock bottom,” urging every player to assess whether he is “good enough to wear the shirt.” United’s goals-for tally stalled at 45—its lowest in 32 years—while Spurs, under Ange Postecoglou, celebrated a first European crown since 1984 after conceding just four goals across the knockout rounds.

The contrast between Tottenham’s upward trajectory—climbing from seventh to fourth in five months—and United’s slide from 13th to 16th underscores the rebuilding task ahead. Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe faces a pivotal summer, with an ageing defence that kept only six clean sheets all season and an attack that produced a mere 1.18 expected goals per game under intense pressure to improve.

Stay with Betway Arabia Sports News for unrivalled coverage, insights and the latest odds.