LONDON: Ruben Amorim has warned Manchester United players that they have a huge responsibility to salvage a humiliating season by winning the Europa League.
United warmed up ahead of the Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao with another Premier League defeat at Brentford yesterday.
Amorim’s men lost 4-3 and are 15th in the league and are at risk of ending the campaign in their lowest position since being relegated in the 1974-74 season.
United’s unbeaten run in the league now extends to six games. They trailed 4-1 behind Brentford before goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo reduced the deficit.
Amorim lost 12 of his 24 league appearances for United, winning just six.
But after a 3-0 win over Bilbao in the first leg of the semi-final, United realised they had a chance to qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning the Europa League.
“I think it’s stressful when you lose. When competing for a championship it’s not stressful.
“I have no doubt that we played better and understood our game pattern in this context.
“So we will accept all the criticism. We lost in the Premier League, but we are fighting for the Europa League, so we have to accept it and think about the important match this Thursday,” said Amorim.
Amorim made eight changes at the Gtech Community Stadium to rest its key players ahead of the second leg against Bilbao at Old Trafford this Thursday (early Friday morning).
Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire were among United’s key stars who were left out of the starting line-up against Brentford.