Amorim: Winning Europa League would be huge for Man Utd's future

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Ruben Amorim believes winning the UEFA Europa League would have a huge impact on Manchester United's future.

The winners of the competition will be given a place in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, if they have not already qualified through their league position. With Man Utd lying 13th in the Premier League, it represents their only real chance of reaching Europe's elite club tournament.

Man Utd are in Lyon for the first leg of their quarter-final on Thursday, and Amorim told the club's official website: "It's really important, in all aspects.

"The first one is to win a title, especially a European title. In this season, in this context, winning something like that is massive for us for our confidence - and then, to the future, to the next season.

"To play in the Champions League [makes the situation] completely different. The environment, the way we are going to face the summer, the budget for the summer - everything is connected with this competition.

"We know that pressure, but again, it's not the biggest problem in Manchester United. We have other strings to get this in the right way, without Champions League next year. But of course we will try to win it."

While Man Utd have struggled in the Premier League this season, losing 13 matches, they are unbeaten in the Europa League, winning six games and drawing four, including a 5-2 aggregate victory over Real Sociedad in the last 16.

But Amorim has warned his team that they now face a formidable opponent, with Lyon winning six of their last seven matches in all competitions, including a 7-1 aggregate triumph over Steaua Bucharest in the last round of the Europa League.

"Lyon are stronger and faster than Real Sociedad," he said. "They play different football. They are winning most of the games and they are scoring more goals.

"It's a strong team physically, but they have a type of game that is really based on possession. So it's going to be a different game. You feel against Real Sociedad we made a lot of runs but to do that with this team, it's going to be harder to do it."

Mainoo set to be eased back in

Man Utd could boosted by the return of Kobbie Mainoo, who has travelled with the squad to France following a two-month injury lay-off.

“He had some weeks out, so we have to be careful with his fitness," said Amorim. "We are really happy to have more options and an option like Kobbie Mainoo, with the quality that he has.

"He can play in different positions - he has already played as a six, as an eight, as a 10. So we are really pleased to have Kobbie Mainoo but we have to be careful, and we need Kobbie Mainoo fit and fresh.

"We need to find a little bit, like Casemiro in this moment is playing better, because we are understanding better the way that Casemiro can play, and I think we can do that with Kobbie, because he has a lot of qualities.

“He's really good on the ball. But he's also really good near the opponent's box, so we'll try to manage all that, to try to find the right space for a player like Kobbie.

“I think that is also a little bit the problem [that he's achieved so much so young]. When I see Kobbie Mainoo, I see a lot of talent, but in the way I see - I could be wrong, that's for sure - I see some things that Kobbie Mainoo has to improve.

“The space during the game, he has the qualities, like I said, in the build-up he needs to improve, and near the box he has a lot of talent, and that's why I think he did a very good game in the Europa League in that position [against FCSB].

“When I see Kobbie Mainoo, I see him not like a full player in the moment, because he's 19. If I say to Kobbie, 'You are done, you are the final player', I think I'm not helping Kobbie, that's all.”

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