Ruben Amorim is looking to win his first-ever European Cup when Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
After a convincing 3-0 win in the first leg, Manchester United beat Athletic Club 3-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday night to secure their place in an eagerly anticipated final against Tottenham.
A nervy first-half saw United trail 1-0 at the break, but four goals in the final 20 minutes settled the tension that was evident on another memorable night for European football.
Thanks to goals from Mason Mount (2), Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund, United could enjoy the end of the game with their focus firmly on a Bilbao final.
Tottenham reached the final after overcoming Bodo/Glimt over two legs, winning 4-1 on aggregate. Ange Postecoglou is looking to deliver his promise of trophies, but he is facing a head coach in Ruben Amorim, who is eager to lay the foundations for future success at United.
Ruben Amorim not thinking about Champions League money
It will be an important summer transfer window for Amorim, after adding just two players to his squad in January, after becoming United’s head coach less than two months prior.
Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu arrived in January as two defensive additions and their ability is already clear for United fans to see.
The Portuguese coach will be eager to add more quality to his squad when the 2024/25 season concludes, especially after such a turbulent campaign with United sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League season.
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There is no denying that qualifying for the Champions League would be a huge bonus for United in terms of financial strength ahead of the transfer window.
However, Amorim has stressed that money is not the most important thing about potentially winning the Europa League. His intentions are clear as he wants to show that he can change things during his early days at the club.
“I think that is clear and I read the money is not the most important, even the title as a coach is the feeling that we can do good things,” Amorim told reporters in his post-match press conference.
“The feeling is to give something to our fans, even in this season, so I agree, it is not just playing Champions League next year, it is that feeling that we can change things.”
After failing to win the Premier League since 2013, it’s clear that things need to change at United and it’s a promising sign that Amorim is not shying away from that.
Amorim has compared himself to Ange Postecoglou ahead of the final.
Europa League triumph would be ‘massive’
Amorim won the Primeira Liga twice as Sporting CP manager, but he held back from ranking a potential Europa League triumph when questioned by reporters on Thursday night.
Still, Amorim did not hide away from how significant Europa League success would be for United after such a difficult campaign.
He added: “Every coach will say the next one is the most important. It is the title with more exposure, but I cannot say it is the most important title.
“Your first one is more important because you want to establish yourself as a coach and to win something, so you can say you have a title. But it would be massive, especially after this season in the Premier League. For me, it is important because it is the next one.”