Manchester United are set to press ahead with plans for a team barbecue even though Ruben Amorim’s side came up short in the Europa League final against Tottenham
Manchester United are going ahead with a team barbecue – despite their crushing Europa League final defeat.
United said they would hold a barbecue for players and staff after the Europa League final, rather than hold an open-top bus parade if they beat Tottenham in Bilbao. Despite losing 1-0 to Ange Postecoglou’s side in the San Mames Stadium, United are understood to have decided to go ahead with the barbecue at the club’s Carrington training ground, for players, their families and staff.
United have endured their worst-ever Premier League season, losing 18 games to stand 16th in the table, with no European football next season, following the defeat to Spurs in northern Spain.
Club chiefs are also standing behind head coach Ruben Amorim. United’s meek 1-0 defeat compounded their worst top-flight campaign since relegation 51 years ago – a point above victors Spurs – heading into Sunday’s season finale at home to Aston Villa.
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Amorim has overseen just six Premier League wins since succeeding Erik ten Hag in November and admitted after Wednesday’s costly defeat he would walk away without compensation if the club or fans wanted him to.
Heading into the final, it was believed the Portuguese had the club’s full support irrespective of the outcome and he indeed retains the backing of the hierarchy despite the painful loss in Spain.
Several United players emphatically threw their support behind Amorim after the drab defeat, with Bruno Fernandes saying he was “the right man” for what the club still see as a longer-term project. United’s skipper was left distraught by the defeat and admitted he could be sold by club bosses this summer
Luke Shaw said the candid coach is “100 per cent the right person” to oversee a change in “mindset” and “standards”, with fellow full-back Diogo Dalot offering similar support.
“I’m 100 per cent sure that he’s the right man for us because I see it every day,” the United defender said. “The standards that he has, what he demands from us, the view that he has for the club, for the players, for the coaching staff.
“A lot of changes are happening at the same time, but ultimately it’s going to be what we do on the pitch. We have to take responsibility from that. Nobody apart from us is going on to the pitch and trying to get results.”
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