Manchester United reliant on Europa League with season on life support
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Manager Ruben Amorim said his side must improve “everywhere” with the team destined for their worst top-flight finish in at least 35 years.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – Manchester United’s lone hope of salvaging anything from a terrible season lies in the Europa League, where success is vital to helping finance a rebuild of Ruben Amorim’s underperforming squad.
United travel to Lyon for the first leg of their quarter-final on April 10 – the first meeting of the clubs since Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal settled a last-16 tie in 2008 en route to the English giants’ last Champions League title.
A dour 0-0 home draw with Manchester City at the weekend left United in 13th place in the English Premier League, prompting manager Amorim to say his side must improve “everywhere” with the team destined for their worst top-flight finish in at least 35 years.
The Europa League offers United their only route back into Europe next season, but falling short of anything but the trophy in Bilbao in May would have severe financial repercussions.
“It’s not the most important thing for Manchester United because we have a lot of things to do, but you can see it, in this season, the Europa League is really important,” said Amorim.
“We can reach the Champions League next season, we can win something, so we are going to do everything to try to go to the next stage.”
Failure to qualify for Europe’s top competition is expected to cost United at least £100 million (S$173 million), ramping up the pressure at a time when the club’s financial headroom is already limited, with cost-cutting measures prevalent.
“We are suffering a lot to make next year so much better and that is our goal,” Amorim said last week, conceding that time was not on his side. “We are in a rush.”
Amorim will come up against a familiar foe in Lyon boss and Portuguese compatriot Paulo Fonseca, whose side are on a run of eight wins in 10 games in all competitions, despite the surreal situation of largely being without their coach on match days.
Fonseca is banned from the dugout in Ligue 1 until November after an angry confrontation with a referee last month, but the suspension does not apply to the Europa League.
His touchline absence has not unduly affected Lyon, who are fifth in France and hunting a return to the Champions League for the first time since their run to the 2019-20 semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Bayern Munich.
Such a prospect is as important to Lyon as it is to United, with French football’s financial control body warning the seven-time champions earlier in the season that they would be relegated without drastic action to reduce debts.
That could lead to the departure of Rayan Cherki, but for now, the home-grown star is fully focused on leading Lyon’s European charge, starting with the visit of United.
Said the 21-year-old: “We’ve been waiting a long time for this. It’s going to be a battle of men. We’re going to have to go to war.”
Eintracht Frankfurt host Tottenham Hotspur in another clash of Europa League contenders, while Conference League favourites Chelsea travel to Legia Warsaw. AFP
