'Now is the excitement, the moment we can change something' - Amorim ready for United overhaul

The 42

24-05-2025

RUBEN AMORIM REFUSED to be drawn on the Manchester United futures of Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho as he said all his focus is on Sunday's final game of the season against Aston Villa.
Amid the fallout from United's 1-0 Europa League final defeat to Tottenham on Wednesday, a hugely costly loss that leaves them without European football next term, questions have been raised over several players ahead of a busy summer as Amorim reshapes his squad.
Captain Fernandes has been linked with a move to the Middle East, with Al Hilal reportedly setting a deadline next week for a decision, while Garnacho cast doubt on his own future after complaining about being left on the bench until the final 20 minutes of Wednesday's final.
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Asked about those players on Saturday, United boss Amorim said: 'The focus now is the last game. I don't know what is going to happen. We have a plan, we were prepared for both situations – with Champions League and without Champions League.
'We have an idea of the type of squad we want but now we focus on the game because we still have the last game, and we have time to address all these situations.'
Long-serving defender Luke Shaw said after Wednesday that United's players needed to reflect on whether they were good enough to play for United. Amorim deflected when asked how many members of his squad he believed are at the right level.
'Our focus is on (Villa),' he said. 'We want to finish in a good way in front of our supporters. That is the important thing. We are going to assess the squad, we know what to do, I will say it again, and we'll deal with that when the season is finished. It is not finished yet.'
This has been another tough week for Amorim, who has overseen just six Premier League wins since succeeding Erik ten Hag in November and has faced questions over whether he is the right man to turn things around.
The Portuguese, who joined from Sporting Lisbon, had initially been reluctant to take over mid-season, but insisted he is now happy he did so as it has given him a fuller understanding of the overhaul needed.
'These six months were really hard,' he said. 'A lot of changes, not just for me but for all the club. We did so many changes inside our club that sometimes it takes a lot, like five years or three years to change all the personnel, and to change a lot of things.
'Now is that part that we need to enjoy and to focus on the future and to be positive, because we know what to do. I know how I want to play. That is clear. With all the mistakes that you guys can point to, I know how I want to play and now is the excitement, the moment we can change something.
'In this moment I'm really glad I arrived six months before the start of a new season. I think we're going to avoid a lot of the mistakes. Now is the time we can use all that suffering to change things in the summer, not just the players. A lot of things need to change in our club.'