Rúben Amorim has aimed a fresh dig at Ange Postecoglou ahead of Manchester United’s Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United are turning their heads toward the Europa League final as they prepare to face Tottenham in Bilbao on Wednesday evening.
Rúben Amorim’s Premier League form has been dire, with the club winless in eight fixtures, but their form across Europe has been fantastic.
After finishing third in the league phase, United were drawn against Real Sociedad for the round of 16, defeating the La Liga opposition 5-2 on aggregate thanks to a second-leg hat-trick from Bruno Fernandes.
The quarter-finals then produced one of the maddest two legs of football ever witnessed. Following a dramatic 2-2 draw against Olympique Lyonnais for the first leg in France, United found themselves 2-0 up, then 4-2 down in the second leg at Old Trafford, before three goals in seven minutes from Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Harry Maguire secured their spot in the semi-finals.
As for the final four, United loaded into an affair with Athletic Club, but Amorim’s men demolished the Spanish side 3-0 in the first leg and 4-1 in the second to secure themselves a spot in the final, against Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs.
Amorim hits out with dig at Postecoglou
With the fixture set to take place in ht middle of next week, both sides had Premier League ties to think about on Friday evening. United went with a strong team as they lost 1-0 against Chelsea, while Tottenham have fielded rotated sides in their last two fixtures.
Speaking with Sky Sports after the final whistle against Chelsea, Amorim was confident that his decision to play a strong team was the right idea as it provided a perfect chance to prepare for the final, branding the decision to rotate as “a mistake” ahead of the tie.
“Today was a really good game to prepare also the final,” Amorim said. “Because if we put some players out and the feeling of the last game is there, almost 10 days without playing for me I think would be a mistake.
“So I think it was a good thing for them to play, to feel that they can do it. We can control the game, we can have possession, we can push the opponent.
“All these small things I know for sure that the players are feeling in this moment. But in the end, in this club, in any club, you need to win. And we are not winning games.”
Going strong was the right decision from Amorim
Playing so many key players just days before a final is undoubtedly a risky move, especially given how plagued United have been by injuries this season.
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Still, with the squad coming through unscathed and now preparing to travel to Bilbao next week, it means key figures like Casemiro, Fernandes, Amad, and Maguire head into the final with valuable momentum.
Fitness concerns do remain for Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt, and Leny Yoro, all of whom missed the trip to West London but could return in time for the flight to Spain.
As for Tottenham, Postecoglou opted to rest several of his main players during their 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Friday, though he now faces an anxious wait over Pape Sarr, who was forced off with a suspected back injury.
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