Defeat to Tottenham has brought the situations of three key players into sharp focus as well as that of the coach – but there is one positive outcome
The defeat in the Europa League final to Tottenham confirmed Manchester United's worst season since being relegated in 1974 – and depressingly, it's still not over. It won't even be done after they host Aston Villa on Sunday, when there is the prospect of them dropping below Spurs in the Premier League and finishing in 17th, the last place above the relegation zone.
A few days after what is sure to be a funereal occasion at Old Trafford, United travel to Malaysia and Hong Kong for a post-season tour, the only objective of which is to scrape back a bit more money. They could sure do with some extra change after losing the golden ticket of Champions League qualification and the £100 million ($134m) pay cheque that would have accompanied it, but going on a trip halfway around the world must be the last thing Ruben Amorim or any of his players want to do after such a disheartening loss.
The mood on the 14-hour flight to Kuala Lumpar is sure to be tense, especially between Ruben Amorim and Alejandro Garnacho after the winger made his displeasure at starting on the bench in Bilbao clear and hinted at the possibility of leaving United. Kobbie Mainoo might also have a similar plan after only coming on in added time, while Bruno Fernandes will have lots of time to weigh up those lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia.
Amorim himself is likely to have some frank conversations with United's chief executive Omar Berrada and later down the line with Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the major consequences of United's defeat at San Mames begin to emerge…
(C)Getty ImagesGarnacho's future up in the air
Some players don't like to talk about their futures immediately after a final, win or lose. Wayne Rooney would not confirm he was set to leave United just after winning the 2017 Europa League, even though it was obvious he was going to depart. Others, however, cannot stay silent after the emotional rollercoaster of a final and all their frustrations come pouring out once a microphone is shoved in their face. And that is what happened to Garnacho in the mixed zone at San Mames.
The winger had started all six of United's knockout matches in the Europa League this season, and he was immensely – and rightly -frustrated to not get the nod in the final. Mason Mount had only had one positive performance in the competition, coming off the bench in the semi-final second leg against Athletic Club to score twice, and he failed to cause much concern to Tottenham's backline before making way for the Argentine in the 71st minute. Garnacho instantly gave United hope, drawing a good save from Guglielmo Vicario as he troubled Pedro Porro.
Garnacho's famously outspoken younger brother, Roberto, fired shots in an angry Instagram post, writing: "Working as no one else, helping every round, coming from two goals in the last two finals, just to be on the pitch for 19 mins and get thrown under the bus." The player himself refused to bite his tongue either when speaking to reporters afterwards: "When you don’t score goals, you always need more. Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next."
The interview sent Garnacho's future at the club flying into the air. His long-term situation has been unclear since it emerged last year that United were willing to listen to offers for him in January, with Napoli and Chelsea showing the biggest interest but neither meeting United's valuation. Garnacho has been an odd fit with Amorim as the coach prefers to play with narrow attacking midfielders rather than wingers, and the Portuguese has not always had glowing praise for the forward. When asked to defend his choice of starting Mount over Garnacho in the final, the coach responded with a barb of his own: "Who missed the big opportunity in the first half against Athletic? Yeah, Garnacho."
With United desperately seeking big-money sales while player and coach are not seeing eye to eye, Garnacho looks likely to move on in the summer.
AdvertisementGettyWe need to talk about Bruno
Fernandes may have been hugely disappointing in the final, but there is no doubt that he is still United's talisman and a player Amorim would want to keep around. BReports of interest from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal are, however, not going anywhere, and Fernandes confronted the speculation head on after the final, indicating he would not stand in the club's way if they decided to make a quick buck on him.
"If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it’s what it is and football sometimes is like this," he said. "I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to the great days. [But] the day that the club thinks that I’m [costing] too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it. I’ve always said it and I keep my word in the same way."
It was a concerning thing for United fans to hear. The majority will want Fernandes to stay, but if Al-Hilal come up with a lucrative offer for a player who turns 31 in September and who has two years left on his contract, the Red Devils will be very tempted to take it and use the money to reinvest in rebuilding the squad.
Getty ImagesMainoo departure feels inevitable
Kobbie Mainoo was the other player that United were reported to be ready to sell in January, and while that felt like a crazy way to treat their most exciting recent academy graduate and an England international, a sale has felt more likely in the last few months. Mainoo has started only three games since returning in April from a two-month spell out injured, and all of those fixtures followed Europa League matches which he had not started in.
He has been repeatedly overlooked by Amorim in the biggest games and he was introduced absurdly late at San Mames, only coming on in added time. It was both of a lack of respect towards a player of Mainoo's standing and quality, and it felt illogical, given how the midfielder had saved United's skin with his curling equaliser in the epic quarter-final second leg with Lyon.
Mainoo has exceptional skills in progressing the ball around midfield and would be an asset to a team looking to play possession football, but his qualities do not really sine through in Amorim's system and the scarce amount that Mainoo has been used is a clear indication that Amorim does not rate him highly enough. So less than two years after announcing himself as a 18-year-old with an astonishingly mature performance at Everton, Mainoo's exit looks to be all-but guaranteed.
Getty Images SportAnd what about Amorim?
With the golden ticket to the Champions League now torn up, Amorim's situation at United is going to move to the very heart of English football discourse in the coming days. That is inevitable given his horrendous results in the Premier League, where he has won just six out of 26 matches and last beat a non-relegated team in January.
David Moyes and Louis van Gaal were both sacked immediately after they failed to secure Champions League football, and Erik ten Hag's slim prospects of taking United back into the top five were a huge factor in him being replaced by Amorim.
By the same logic, Amorim should be sacked now – and he sensationally pledged to leave without demanding compensation if the club decided to fire him. The Portuguese coach has one thing in his favour, however. He was Ratcliffe's choice, and the INEOS chief has invested too much faith, not to mention money, in the Portuguese to cut him loose so soon. Ratcliffe flew out to Lisbon to meet with him secretly when Ten Hag was still in the post and was instantly taken in by his charisma. In March, meanwhile, Ratcliffe gave Amorim the seal of approval, telling the: "I think Ruben is an outstanding young manager. I really do. He’s an excellent manager and I think he will be there for a long time."
Ratcliffe's faith in Amorim has been severely tested in the proceeding weeks, though, with United winning just one league game since he uttered those words and are without a league victory in the last two months. But after spending £11m to get Amorim out of Sporting CP in the middle of the campaign and paying a further £14m to fire Ten Hag, Ratcliffe would be burning yet more money if he were to sack his current coach. It would also entrench the sense that the billionaire does not know how to turn United around, a sentiment which gained strength after the Dan Ashworth debacle. Ratcliffe has to at least let Amorim have the next transfer window and see what the coach can do with a full pre-season.
Fernandes insisted that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, Amorim would get it right at United in the end, saying: "I do think that the club is in a situation where it’s easier to get a different [manager] in because the results haven’t been there, but as my other team-mates said, and I repeat myself, I do think he’s the right man."
Amorim is highly likely to stay and begin the next season, but he is already running out of lives.