The pressure is at Manchester United. The Europa League final against Tottenham, Spain's Bilbar, will be a £100 million lottery for Ruben Amorim and his players. Sources told ESPN that this is a reality, explaining why he has worked at United's Carrington training ground for 14 hours in recent weeks, arriving at 7 o'clock every day, trying to fully grasp a job that has encountered threats to consume his job as a manager within six months.
Amorim told him that it was "really embarrassing" that Amorim had a very difficult early months at work, and the club's depth was low, which made him "really embarrassing", which is worth noting that the Premier League 16th place, surpassing the relegation zone two places - already reached the Europa League final. Nevertheless, they stood on the cliffs of Bilbao.
If United beat the Spurs on Wednesday at Estadio San Mames' Spurs, they will get a spot in the Champions League next season and guarantee a boost in the competition by at least £100 million. Reclaiming a place among European elites could make united more appealing to potential new signings in the summer transfer window.
What if Manchester United loses? Well, erase all of the above, prepare for another year of uncertainty on economic and squad reconstruction, and then wonder if Amorim will see it nearby.
The 40-year-old arrived from the Portuguese champion after withdrawing from Erik Ten Hag from the Portuguese champion in November, saying last week that he was "far from quitting" after suffering 13 losses in 25 Premier League games, before adding that the club would "normal" and "change us" if United continues to fail under the leadership. The same breath, Amorim ruled out leaving before he could improve his prospects, and multiple sources told ESPN that although Amorim has been managing the team, the joint hierarchy must also manage the manager to assure him that he will receive support from the support club.
When he worked at Manchester United last November, Amorim was regarded by Liverpool as the successor to Jurgen Klopp 12 months ago, initially wanted to see this season in sports and then took charge at Old Trafford this summer because it was difficult to perform poorly in the mid-term. But the United Nations persisted, insisting that they couldn't wait until summer, so Amorim moved earlier than he hoped.
His worst fears have emerged since then, and the tasks he undertakes proved to be much larger than he thought. Several sources told ESPN that Amorim was so confused about Manchester United's life in January as he won a victory in eight games and eventually climaxed with Brighton's 3-1 home defeat that he was ready to resign, but colleagues agreed.
Although a Manchester United source told ESPN that Amorim had no formal move to resign, it was admitted that he had to rest assured at the club's senior figures, including Omar Berrada, that he would be supported to turn the team's fate. Furthermore, Manchester United's new football hierarchy (led by minority owner Jim Ratcliffe) remains convinced that despite the difficulties on the court, Amorim is the right person for the job.
Nevertheless, a source told ESPN that Amorim was "obviously gray" in the frustrating January, and when he celebrated his 40th birthday at Fulham at the end of the month, the co-manager said: "I'm 40 today...well, I'm 50, and after two months at Manchester United, I'm 50!"
"Ruben is an outstanding young manager, and I think he will be there for a long time," Ratcliffe said in a series of interviews in March.
It was the belief in Amorim that led to his decision to omit Marcus Rashford from the team in the winter and seek a new club for the striker, who has been on loan at Aston Villa since January. Rashford remains Manchester United's highest-paid player, with his £325,000 per week contract still in three years, but the club's leadership continues to lag behind Amorim's position on the 27-year-old.
Despite his support from those above Manchester United, sources around the club said Amorim had been questioning himself - and the club's ability to overhaul the first team that was satisfied with him. They also shared that the difficulties he had encountered in early weeks at Old Trafford were made more challenging by some of his staff, who left a winning team in Lisbon only to find them tough on the pitch and on the pitch in Manchester.
In February, ESPN was told that some first-team players were not impressed by Amorim’s coaching staff – a claim rejected by a source, was “background noise” from players who could not break into the team. But as the team fell from one bad result into another, Amorim commented on his shortcomings and the players' shortcomings in the press conference, which was "the worst team in Manchester United history" after Brighton failed in mid-January.
The discord at Old Trafford was exacerbated by a series of layoffs and cost-cutting measures at all levels of the club, which exacerbated Amorim's problems. The money-saving drive of United, powered by Ratcliffe's Ineos group, masked a FA Cup final victory against Manchester City last season. Then, last week, ESPN reported that Amorim had to pay for his 30 behind-the-scenes staff to provide two tickets for friends and family, as the club refused to pay and therefore competed in Bilbao. Sources familiar with the situation told ESPN that the first team also jointly paid for charter flights to northern Spain to enable friends and family to compete.
By contrast, Paris Saint-Germain announced earlier this month that they will pay all 600 club employees to participate in the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Munich on May 31.
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Laurens: Amorim's right to be embarrassed by Manchester United's season
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens questioned Ruben Amorim's response to another Premier League defeat by Manchester United.
Sources told ESPN that a senior player who had no contract this summer still had to tell him whether he would be retained or released, while another senior player told Associates that he believes his appearance was restricted to force him to seek action.
Sources told ESPN that Ratcliffe was frustrated with critical comments about his contract and salary at the club in March. Ratcliffe criticized the previous regime for signing players including Casemiro, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund, who said they were "overpaid and underperformed".
Despite the intense behind the scenes, key players were injured throughout the season (Luke Shaw, Matthijs de Ligt, Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo), cost reduction measures, most notably, in the Premier League, Amorim won the UEFA Europa League and won 90 minutes of victory in the Europa League and achieved a huge result and performance in the Premier League.
A source told ESPN that in recent weeks, Amorim began to "love" to restore Manchester United's challenge, but he is still fighting for "the right mindset." Comments in recent days have affected those frustrations after Old Trafford’s defeat against West Ham, and in a speech at Manchester United’s Europa League Media Day last Wednesday.
But after warning that after a "storm will come" in three managers' matches last December, Amorim somehow turned to the darkest days, putting United on the brink of a big trophy. It's all thanks to a game in Bilbao.