Ruben Amorim's ill-advised Man Utd comments risk wrath of Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Ruben Amorim has felt for a while that it might not be in Manchester United's best interests to play football next season. If United beat in next week's final, they will go straight into European football's elite club competition next season.   

That is despite suffering 17 defeats in their worst season of the era, with United currently down in 16th, one place above Spurs. That one of those two sides will be in the Champions League next season is at odds with a competition supposedly showcasing the best sides in Europe, with Amorim unsure if playing in it would benefit United.

He had confided as much to his inner circle before going public with his feelings in the aftermath of Sunday's lamentable 2-0 defeat at home to . “I don’t know what is best,” said Amorim. “If it’s playing in the Champions League or not.”

Amorim's forthright nature has been refreshing, but his admission United may be better off without the Champions League and he may not be the man to lead them long-term, was ill-advised. His comments will certainly have not gone down well with the club's hierarchy, in particular co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Winning the Europa League – and with it a ticket to the Champions League – is worth up to £100million, money United cannot afford to lose out on, given the perilous nature of the club's finances, which has led to 450 redundancies and savage cutbacks.

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The prospect of losing to Spurs and enduring a season without European football for only the second time in 35 years is therefore unthinkable for Ratcliffe and those in charge at United.

But for Amorim it may prove be the best scenario, giving him more time to work with his squad, without the added burden of eight Champions League games that United's players are clearly not ready or equipped for.

That Amorim is effectively saying it might be better to lose to Spurs is a damning indictment of where United find themselves – a club that once ruled at home and abroad, but is now considered better off not embarrassing itself on Europe's biggest stage and instead embarking on a period of self-reflection, away from prying eyes.

The problem for Amorim and his players is that there is no hiding place at arguably the world's biggest club, where the focus and scrutiny is unparalleled, whether the team is racking up trophies or grubbing around near the bottom of the Premier League.

Amorim's request to see out the rest of this season at Sporting Lisbon, before taking over at United, has been vindicated by the disastrous way the campaign has gone. Amorim felt it was best to start afresh at United this summer, with a full pre-season behind him.

But Ratcliffe and his cronies pressured him into leaving mid-season and are now suffering the consequences of rushing Amorim into leaving against his instincts, with United now worse off than when they sacked Erik ten Hag last October.

When Ten Hag went, United were seven points off the top four. Now, after just six wins from 25 league games under Amorim, they are 26 points off the top four, two places above the relegation zone.

United are at their lowest ebb since they were relegated half a century ago, led by a manager who has questioned his decision to take the job, ahead of a final he is not sure is worth winning. The fallen giants have truly hit rock bottom and it is hard to see a way back to the glory days of the past any time soon. Just ask Amorim.

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