To complete Man United irony - disastrous season with UEL final

There’s no doubt about it—Manchester United, as even Ruben Amorim himself admitted, has seriously underperformed this season. This is a season to throw away, to delete, to forget. All that can be taken from it are lessons, and a fresh start. But before turning that new page, it would be wise to grab what's still on offer—and that’s no small thing: the Europa League trophy.

‘We are the worst team since I arrived to Manchester’

Even though United has, somewhat surprisingly, taken a strong step toward the final with a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in Spain, the wounds of this season are still fresh and bleeding. No one can say with certainty that this team won’t show its darker side again and make things difficult for itself. And if that’s not enough, just remember what happened in the quarterfinals against Lyon: from a 2-0 lead with a man advantage, they fell to 2-4 before pulling off a miraculous comeback from the 114th to the 121st minute for a 5-4 win.

The Premier League is over and archived. Since Amorim arrived on November 11, the team has picked up 24 points in 24 matches. But the Europa League is a whole different story. The Theatre of Dreams has hosted a team that remains the only unbeaten side in European club competitions this season—with eight wins and five draws. From that angle, they deserve to book their ticket to Bilbao, where the final will take place on May 21 against either Tottenham or Bodo/Glimt.

Amorim’s caution ahead of the return leg is understandable. He knows that with the 2024/25 version of Manchester United, nothing is certain, and that’s why he warns:

“If you look at our team, we can’t say for sure what will happen today. It’s hard to say—even during a single match, we can be one kind of team and then lose concentration and fall apart. At the end of the season, it might happen that we’re the worst team in Premier League history and still win a European title.”

Amorim: "Everybody wants to play for Manchester United"

Some may say he's being overly cautious, as history shows that in UEFA Cup or Europa League history, there have been 133 instances of a team winning the first leg by three goals—and all 133 teams advanced. But the red warning light stays on because those teams weren’t this season’s Manchester United.

“We can’t control the narrative. I feel we need to score to make it to the final. So, we’ll have to suffer a bit to get there. It doesn’t matter that their best players are out. For us, this is still a top Athletic side. I understand it's hard to play without key players, but that doesn't matter to us. We have to go out and try to win,” Amorim said.

It’s also uncertain how many current players Amorim will have at his disposal come summer. There will be sales, but that doesn’t mean the young Portuguese coach is willing to part with key players like Bruno Fernandes, who has received a massive offer from Saudi club Al Hilal. Amorim won’t let him go, knowing how important he’ll be for the transition toward a more stable and powerful United.

“Bruno is a top player, and we need players like that. He’s a leader, a captain—truly important. Of course, many clubs want him, just like they want Garnacho and others. We want to keep our best players, and Bruno is clearly one of the best in the world. Our plan hasn’t changed. We want him here,” Amorim firmly stated.

Alejandro Garnacho, who’s had a rollercoaster season, has shown improvement lately and has also been linked with a move away.

“As a player, you always deal with rumors about your future. But I have a contract here until 2028 and I’m happy at the club,” Garnacho said, adding that they’ll treat the second leg against Bilbao as a brand new match, ignoring the first-leg win.

He and Bruno will likely start tonight in the No. 10 roles, with Rasmus Hojlund—currently the only healthy striker—leading the line. Center-back Matthijs de Ligt hasn’t recovered and will miss the game, as will Lisandro Martinez, Joshua Zirkzee, Toby Collyer, and Diogo Dalot. Aidan Heven remains questionable.

Fate has not smiled on Athletic Bilbao either, as they arrive in Manchester without their top three scorers: brothers Nico and Inaki Williams, and Oihan Sancet—all wingers. Dani Vivian is suspended after being sent off in the first leg, so Yeray Alvarez will step in. Up front, Ernesto Valverde has no choice but to go with Asier Villalibre.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - SEMI-FINALS

Thursday

22:00: (3.00) Bodo (3.50) Tottenham (2.30)

22:00: (2.10) Man.Utd. (3.40) Ath.Bilbao (3.60)

***odds are subject to change***