Manchester United have been handed a huge injury blow ahead of their Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur on May 21.
The blow came early at the start of the second half for United against West Ham with key centre-back Leny Yoro going down injured and holding his left foot. The Frenchman was unable to continue, heading straight down the tunnel at old Trafford with Ruben Amorim's men 1-0 down.
Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham will face Amorim's United in the Europa League final on Wednesday, May 21 (8pm kick-off) in Bilbao. Victory in Spain will seal a lucrative place in next season's Champions League for the winner.
Spurs won 2-0 at Bodo/Glimt in their semi-final second leg tie after a 3-1 victory in the first leg to put them on the cusp of a first major trophy win since the 2008 League Cup. At the same time, United saw off Athletic Bilbao 4-1 at Old Trafford in their second leg fixture, 7-1 on aggregate, and will be seeking their second Europa League trophy win after emerging victorious in 2017 under Jose Mourinho.
But when it was pointed out to Postecoglou that United have acknowledged winning the Europa League would not save a disappointing season overall, the former Celtic boss could not hide his anger. "Why do I care what Man Utd think?!" he said in his post-match press conference on Thursday.
"Why is that relevant to me? OK, so ask the Man United manager why he says that. I've said all along that this is important."
On the final, he said: "It's going to upset a lot of people isn't it! The debate's now raging, the latest one is that neither of us will be able to get a trophy if we win, they're just going to take a team photo because we're not worthy.
"I mean, who cares if we're struggling in the league? Why is that important? If it's so easy to get to a final, then why doesn't everyone who finishes in the top three do it? It's a separate thing. It's got nothing to do with league form.
"We understand our league form hasn't been great. We understand the struggles we've had. A lot of them are because of the situation we've been in. But how does that diminish the achievement of getting to a final?
"Like I said, this club and others have finished in first, second or third in the Premier League, and haven't made finals. Why should that be diminished? I couldn't care less who's struggling and who's not.
"I think both us and Manchester United have earned the right to be there. I think we've probably beaten teams who will be in the Champions League next year, on our road to getting there. So looking forward to it, should be a great game."