Rúben Amorim has opened up on a Manchester United selection headache that delights him as he picks who will face Tottenham in the Europa League final.
Manchester United are turning their attention to the Europa League final, where they’ll face Tottenham in Bilbao on Wednesday night.
Rúben Amorim’s team have struggled in the Premier League, going eight games without a win, but their form in Europe has been a completely different story.
After finishing third in the league phase, United beat Real Sociedad 5-2 on aggregate in the round of 16, with Bruno Fernandes stealing the spotlight with a second-leg hat-trick.
Their quarter-final clash with Lyon was a wild ride. A 2-2 draw in France was followed by a rollercoaster at Old Trafford—United went 2-0 up, then fell 4-2 behind, before a dramatic late surge saw Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Harry Maguire fire them into the semis.
From there, United dominated Athletic Club, winning 3-0 in Spain and 4-1 at home to book their place in the final. Now, only Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs stand in their way.
Amorim delighted with positive selection headache for Europa League final
While there are many sure-fire starters for United in the final, with Fernandes, Amad, Casemiro, and Maguire dead certs to be on the pitch as the referee blows his whistle, there is debate surrounding who could make up the rest of the squad.
Amid ambiguity about Diogo Dalot and Leny Yoro’s respective fitness levels, there are also arguments to be made surrounding whether either Mason Mount or Rasmus Højlund should start against Tottenham.
When asked by club media if he knows what he will say to the players who will not start with the final, Amorim explained that he is comfortable telling players who will and will not play, and happy that he has a decision to make this time around considering the number of injuries United have had this season.
“It’s not a good thing for any player to hear that, but I’m quite comfortable with that,” Amorim said. “That is my job.
“I think the problem that we had in some games in this season [is that] I had a lot of players out from injury. So, it doesn’t matter if you if you play one minute in the final – of course you want to play 90 minutes – But the important thing is to win.
“Because if we win, all the players are going to win this final. They all played in the Europa League, so that is the most important thing.”
United hand fans major Yoro inclusion hint vs Tottenham
Amid the hot discussions surrounding who should start for United against Tottenham in Bilbao, the club themselves have issued a hint that Yoro may be available to face the Premier League outfit.
Before each final United play in, they have suits tailor-made for players set to be included in the fixture, with the club releasing some official photos of United’s squad fitted with blue suits and white shirts.
While Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, and others were all featured in the photo release, Yoro was also included, hinting that he may travel to Bilbao with the rest of the squad ahead of the European showdown.
Yoro missed United’s 1-0 loss against Chelsea last week after being forced off early against West Ham with a foot injury the week prior. If he is available to play and potentially start for United against Tottenham, this would be a major boost for Amorim.
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.