Four Manchester United players are giving Rúben Amorim the ultimate gift ahead of their Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening.
Manchester United are preparing for the Europa League final, where they’ll meet Tottenham in Bilbao on Wednesday evening.
It’s been a rough ride domestically for Rúben Amorim’s side, who are without a win in their last eight Premier League games—but in Europe, they’ve been a different beast.
United finished third in the league phase before dispatching Real Sociedad 5-2 on aggregate in the round of 16, with Bruno Fernandes bagging a brilliant hat-trick in the second leg.
The quarter-final against Lyon was a whirlwind. After drawing 2-2 in France, United went 2-0 up, then 4-2 down at Old Trafford, before roaring back with quickfire goals from Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Harry Maguire to pull off an astonishing comeback.
They made no mistake in the semi-finals, thrashing Athletic Club 3-0 away and 4-1 at home to seal their place in the final—where Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs await.
Confidence will be key in the final
With both United and Tottenham struggling beyond belief in the domestic league, the Europa League final will, in part, come down to which side enters the fixture with more confidence.
United have struggled with confidence issues this season, with many of the club’s collapses during games coming from players not feeling confident on the ball in attack or defending poorly, with Rasmus Højlund and Manuel Ugarte the most obvious examples.
With the final meaning so much to both teams amid the chance of a trophy, Champions League qualification, and an additional £85 million in revenue as a result of winning the fixture, there is a definite fear among United fans that, amid the poor form, some players may shrink in the face of the occasion and possible consequences.
While the players have been lacking in confidence in the Premier League across the last few months, Amorim himself has noted that there is a definite elevation of mood among the squad ahead of Europa League ties, with the performances in the competition so far evidence of this.
Four players are giving Amorim the gift of confidence
While fans may be worried about how performances from the likes of Højlund or Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu could affect the fixture, four of Amorim’s most important players will give him the ultimate gift of confidence ahead of the fixture.
Fernandes is arguably the best player in Europa League history, having been involved in more goals than any other player, notching 27 goals and 23 assists in 57 appearances. It will be United’s difference-maker on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, the early return of Amad from injury at the beginning of the month is a blessing from the footballing Gods. An ankle injury initially ruled out the stunning winger for the remainder of the season.
However, he recovered in unprecedented time, and with over 250 minutes on his legs since then, he is United’s most dangerous forward and will give United much-needed confidence in the front line.
As for the club’s midfield, Casemiro’s recent form has been nothing short of spectacular in the Europa League, creating all three of United’s last-minute goals against Lyon before notching in both legs against Athletic Club.
Casemiro has won all seven European finals he has played in throughout his career, and his brilliant mentality and acumen in crunch clashes will be infectious in the dressing room ahead of kick-off.
Finally, Maguire’s story does not just give United fans confidence but also hope. Maguire has found himself the epitome of redemption, going from being United’s scapegoat two seasons ago to being voted third in the club’s Player of the Season rankings for 2024/25.
He has been immense in both boxes in the Europa League during the knockout stages and will almost certainly start in the middle of the back three, providing the club with a rock to feed off from the back.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.