- Man United face Chelsea on Friday night in their penultimate league match
- The Red Devils take on Tottenham in the Europa League final just five days later
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Why Liverpool fans must not let Trent Alexander-Arnold row spoil their title party
Ruben Amorim has warned his Manchester United stars that they are playing for their places in next week’s Europa League final against Tottenham in Bilbao.
United face their penultimate Premier League game of the season at Chelsea on Friday, five days before meeting Spurs at the San Mames.
Amorim has told his players not to read too much into his team selection at Stamford Bridge and insists places in the final are still up for grabs.
‘Yes, that’s clear,’ said the United boss. ‘I know already the starting 11 I’m thinking for Chelsea and then I will see. Even the way we play there against Chelsea, it is going to important for the next one.
‘We have time to recover. The best thing to prepare for the final is to play the game, and then the players have to understand if you play or don’t play against Chelsea, it means nothing for the final – that is important.
‘I am just preparing the game of Chelsea. That is my focus and we want to perform to win.’
Ruben Amorim has warned his Manchester United stars that they are playing for their places in next week’s Europa League final
Amorim doesn’t want his players to be distracted by the final or any concerns about picking up an injury
Amorim is unlikely to risk Diogo Dalot and Matthijs De Ligt as they recover from injury, and will be careful not to push Mason Mount and Luke Shaw too hard.
However, he doesn’t want his players to be distracted by the final or any concerns about picking up an injury.
‘Again, it is going to be a massive part, this game to the next one, so we need to perform and they need to perform, that is an important thing,’ he added.
‘If a player can get an injury, has not recovered for this game, or can be a risk for the final, he will not play.
‘But if it is not that situation, he will have a lot of time to recover and we cannot spend eight or nine days without a game, that is a bad thing for the final.’
Leny Yoro is a doubt for the final after limping off against West Ham on Sunday with a foot injury that is thought to be linked to the broken metatarsal that kept him out of action for four months following a £52million summer move from Lille.
De Ligt has not played since hurting his knee in the defeat at Brentford earlier this month, and with Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans set to leave as free agents at the end of the season, Amorim will consider signing a new centre-back in the summer.
‘I was thinking about even the next year, the squad. If we need another guy if it is a long injury, that’s my concern,’ he said.
Leny Yoro is a doubt for the final after limping off against West Ham on Sunday with a foot injury
United face a Chelsea side looking to bounce back from a damaging defeat by Newcastle in the race for Champions League qualification
‘It is not just about the final. I want every player fit. Leny Yoro is his foot. He had that problem and I was so concerned about next season, the next squad, the way we build up the squad. That was my biggest concern. The rest will be ready for the final no matter what.’
When Yoro went off against West Ham, Amorim immediately took off Shaw to protect a player who has only recently returned from a long-term lay-off with hamstring problems.
‘Yeah, it was clear we cannot take a risk on several players, especially in that kind of position,’ he confirmed. ‘It is the (injury) history. Not what it is going to be, it’s the history.
‘Then we have to manage the minutes like Mason Mount. Mount is ready but we are trying to build these guys a little longer for them to cope, and then they are going to be ready.’
