Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui has insisted that the club can still hold their heads high this season if they clinch Europa League glory - and says he's a big fan of Ruben Amorim. United have decided that they will not sack the Portuguese head coach regardless of what happens against Tottenham in Bilbao despite a dismal run in the Premier League.
The Red Devils have endured their worst ever Premier League campaign, languishing in 16th place under Ruben Amorim after suffering 18 losses. But United's boardroom do not blame Amorim and all is not lost as United could yet salvage some pride by defeating Spurs in the upcoming Europa League final. The victors will not only lift the trophy but also secure a spot in next season's Champions League, potentially raking in up to £100 million in revenue.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Despite their woeful domestic performance, Mazraoui believes that a win against Spurs would overshadow their Premier League shortcomings. "Winning a trophy is never easy," the defender stated. "I think in any case you don't downgrade that, because you have to fight hard to get into the position to win a trophy.
"You have to beat opponents who are strong and who are also really hungry to be in that final. When you look back at your career, you will look back at this season and you're going to be proud of winning the Europa League, if we win on Wednesday, more than you're going to look at the failure in the Premier League. You can be sure, for sure, you can be proud."
Mazraoui was brought to Old Trafford by former United manager Erik ten Hag, but has welcomed the direct approach of current boss Amorim. "I like him a lot in that respect," Mazraoui said. "He's really honest, really straightforward, he's not hiding from anything."
"That's how I am as well. I'm not hiding behind anything and that's the manager as well. He takes responsibility, he knows he's the head of the club eventually, because he's the manager. That's something I like a lot about him."
In stark contrast to their Premier League form, United remain unbeaten in the Europa League, a fact that defender Mazraoui is keen to highlight. The Moroccan international said: "That's something really tough to say, because we always manage in the Europa League to eventually win.
"I think the biggest example was Lyon, where we were almost dead in the last 10 minutes of the game. Extra-time, everybody's tired and everything, and you still manage to win. We maybe have that kind of fighting spirit in the Europa League that we maybe lack in the Premier League."
Despite Tottenham having bested United in all three of their encounters this season, Mazraoui dismissed the idea that this would influence Wednesday's crucial showdown. "I don't think so, because this is a whole different competition," he explained.
"It's the Europa League, it's a final, so the context around it is so different that you can't really compare any previous games with this final."