- Amorim will remain in charge of United even if they lose the Europa League final
- United bosses believe the Portuguese manager deserves a summer window
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Ruben Amorim will remain in charge of Manchester United even if they lose the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur and miss out on next season’s Champions League.
United have endured a deeply disappointing domestic campaign and currently sit in 16th in the Premier League, a mere two places above the relegation zone.
The Red Devils have lost 17 league games, their worst display in 51 years, while Amorim’s win record of 24 per cent is the lowest of any manager since Sir Alex Ferguson.
Under the Portuguese boss, they have won just six of their 25 league matches, while he has overseen an FA Cup exit to Fulham and a League Cup loss against Spurs.
Following their 2-0 home defeat to West Ham, an ’embarassed’ Amorim admitted he may need to quit if he can’t turn around his side’s woeful form.
However, his job remains safe for next season with the club’s hierarchy believing he needs a summer transfer window to build his squad and sign his own players, according to The Guardian.
Amorim will remain in charge of United next season even if they lose the Europa League final
The Red Devils sit in 16th in the Premier League table after their 2-0 home defeat to West Ham
Amorim admitted he may need to quit if he can’t turn around their dreadful form next season
Wolves’s Matheus Cunha and Ipswich striker Liam Delap have been identified as key targets in Amorim’s rebuild.
But United need to sell players to raise funds to sign the pair, with Cunha’s release clause costing £62.5million and Delap’s priced at £30m.
Cunha has been one of the breakout stars of the season with 15 goals and six assists in the Premier League despite Wolves’ largely poor form throughout the current campaign.
Moreover, his performances have been a key reason for Wolves’ resurgence in the top-flight under Vitor Pereira.
One of the key reasons behind United’s pursuit lies in his familiarity with Ruben Amorim’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation.
Meanwhile, United legend Rio Ferdinand believes as many as 50 per cent of Manchester United’s current squad could be cut in a summer rebuild.
Ferdinand, who believes Amorim needs at least two transfer windows to construct a squad capable of carrying out his vision, said: ‘I think he looks around the dressing room and thinks “If I could wave a magic wand, in the next five years at least 50 per cent of this team wouldn’t be here”
‘Because they’re not good enough and they’re not right for the way he wants to play.’
United have only won six of 25 Premier League matches under Portuguese boss Ruben Amorim
United face Spurs in the Europa League final for a place in next season’s Champions League
Wolves forward Matheus Cunha has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in the summer
‘I look at him and think that he needs, minimum, two good windows of getting rid of the ones he doesn’t require but also getting in players that he really needs.’
Despite fuming at a lack of ‘urgency’ in his side following the defeat to West Ham and accusing his players of not caring about losing matches anymore, Amorim said he knows how to fix United.
‘I talk with the board, with everybody and even with the fans in every moment,’ he said. ‘I have a clear feeling that I know what this team needs to be so much better, and that has helped me to maintain that level of not go down so much and not so high in some moments.’
United travel to Stamford Bridge on Friday before concluding their season by welcoming Aston Villa to Old Trafford.
They face Spurs in the Europa League final on May 21, knowing a win will seal Champions League qualification and give fans something to cheer about after a miserable campaign.
A Champions League place is expected to bring in around £80million and would allow the club to go after several high-profile targets in the transfer window.
