Manchester United qualified for the Europa League quarter-finals after an emphatic 4-1 home win against Real Sociedad last night.
Following a dramatic 1-1 draw in San Sebastian, Ruben Amorim’s charges had everything to play for at Old Trafford, and it didn’t start well.
Sociedad went 1-0 up after just ten minutes through Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty.
However, Bruno Fernandes’ hat-trick, complemented by Diogo Dalot’s stoppage-time goal, sealed United’s remarkable home win.
Already out of both domestic cup competitions amid the club’s worst campaign in the Premier League era, an unbeaten European run has been the only bright spot in an otherwise forgettable season.
Optimism among the Red Devils faithful was sky-high upon Amorim’s arrival in November after Erik ten Hag’s faltering regime.
Unfortunately, the first few months in charge of the record-time English champions have been anything but encouraging for the ex-Sporting CP boss.
The Portuguese manager has often cut a frustrating figure on the touchline, troubled by his side’s inability to adapt to his tactical ideas and string together consistent performances.
Despite Amorim’s woeful results in the dugout (W12, D5, L10) and several unwanted records, he should remain at the helm of the fallen giants in the 2025/26 campaign.
Adaptation period
Amorim made Sporting one of the best sides in Europe. Under him, they won four domestic trophies and regularly beat bigger European teams. He managed this as a selling club, regularly seeing its best players move on. Under Amorim, anyone making predictions at sweepstakes casinos would see Sporting as a top pick. It shows that when given time, he can create a high-performance team.
The mid-season transition to Old Trafford hasn’t been ideal, but Amorim has spent the past few months trying to implement his ideas at the Theatre of Dreams and instill a long-lost winning mentality into this downtrodden Man Utd side.
Bereft of confidence after nearly a decade in the Premier League backwaters, the Red Devils have struggled to reclaim their former dominance, drawing criticism from the media and fans.
That’s not the kind of atmosphere conducive to a revival, yet Amorim remains determined to turn the team’s fortunes around and restore United to their former glory.
While he has clear tactical ideas and a vision for the club’s future, translating them into consistent performances has proven to be a daunting challenge with the current cast.
On that basis, the upcoming transfer window could be decisive.
Time for ownership to step up
The 40-year-old needs players with specific characteristics in order to make his tactics work, and it’ll be up to the club to provide him with the ammunition in the summer.
Patrick Dorgu’s arrival from Lecce has been a step in the right direction, and Man Utd will need more similar signings in the summer to back Amorim’s bid to restore glory days at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are still paying the price for Ten Hag’s wasteful deals, and there’s no longer a margin for error, especially with fans’ nerves already frayed by years of mismanagement and false dawns.
United blindly followed Ten Hag’s lead in the past two summer transfer windows, even though it ran them into the abyss, but would be well-advised to do the same with Amorim.
If the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe want Amorim’s ideas to come to life, they must support him in the market and, ideally, offload numerous underachieving stars.
Positive signs
Man Utd will, in all likelihood, have to settle for a first bottom-half finish in the Premier League era.
An eight-point gap to 10th-placed Fulham isn’t unassailable, yet the Red Devils’ tumultuous form can’t inspire much confidence.
However, the club’s unbeaten run in the Europa League could still be the saving grace.
Amorim, the only manager yet to lose a European fixture this season, has set his sights on leading the club to their first continental title since 2017.
For most United fans, it’d be a mere consolation.
On the other hand, it would offer a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dismal season.
Winning the Europa League would not only secure silverware. It would also provide a much-needed route back into the Champions League.
