After losing against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final, Manchester United will not be playing Champions League football next season.
Manchester United endured a bitter 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final on Wednesday night, bringing a dismal end to their European campaign.
Tottenham looked the more dangerous side early on, and just before half-time, Brennan Johnson capitalised on a deflected effort to prod the ball past André Onana.
United responded with only a little intent in the second half, and Rúben Amorim introduced Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee in a late bid to change the game.
But the substitutions failed to shift the momentum. United’s attack remained blunt, and Spurs comfortably saw out the match, condemning Amorim’s side to another season without Champions League football.
Amorim has explained why no Champions League football could be good
Speaking last week ahead of the Europa League final, the topic of United not playing in the Champions League next season came up, with it being suggested that, if United had no European football, it may benefit the club long-term.
Amorim had previously mentioned this idea, and one reporter asked the head coach the following question just before the club’s clash against Chelsea last week.
“You said on Sunday that you don’t know what’s best, playing in the Champions League or not,” one reporter said to Amorim. “Clearly the club historically needs to be in the Champions League, there’s huge revenue benefits for transfers and things around it.
“But if you’re not in it next year you’ll have a lot more time on the training ground, a lot more time to prepare for the Premier League, a lot more time to focus on that.
“In terms of where the club is at, at this moment, forget historically, would it be better for long-term progress if you’re not in the Champions League?”
Amorim responded by giving praise to the reporter, stating that he had almost precisely summed up the coach’s feelings towards a lack of European football next season.
“That is my feeling. You explained quite well, that is my feeling,” Amorim said. “We need more time with the team. We need to arrange a lot of things in Carrington, more time not thinking game by game by game.
“Then you have the squad. We proved this year we need to be a better squad if we want to win European games and then be really competitive in the Premier League. It’s going to be tough, but my feeling is that.”
No European football pushes United’s project back a further season
Although there is the benefit of United being set to, for the most part, play just one fixture per week until the FA Cup and Carabao Cup competitions kick in, not having Champions League football at Old Trafford does set the club back.
If United had secured a place in Europe’s elite competition, they would have been able to secure a significant amount of funding and become a much more attractive destination to those such as Viktor Gyökeres.
However, Amorim is not incorrect to point out that having time with this team, something he has not received much of so far, is a big benefit that will go a long way in boosting their chances of success long-term.
Those who have had to adapt to new positions without the time to be properly coached, such as Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho, will be allowed a full pre-season to learn the more nuanced parts of Amorim’s instructions and give the club breathing space to gain momentum in the league next season.
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