Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said on Tuesday that missing out on Champions League football could be a blessing in disguise in his attempts to rebuild the fallen giants.
The Portuguese coach addressed the media in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur fresh from United’s worst season since 1974, having come 15th in the Premier League.
They missed out on a Champions League lifeline — and with it a financial windfall — by losing to fellow strugglers Spurs 1-0 in the Europa League final last week.
I have to say that for us not to be in the Champions League could be an advantage to perform better, to prepare better for games, to build that core that we need for the future,” said Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag during the season but failed to spark a turnaround.
So I think it’s a good thing for us to take advantage not to have European games,” added Amorim, whose phone alarm went off during the press conference ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against a Southeast Asian XI, sparking laughter among members of the media.
With money tight to get the right players in over the summer for his favoured formation, Amorim faces a stiff task to get United back among the elite next season.
The target for now is to win the first game. We have a lot to do during this summer. We have to prepare for the team,” he said.
When you are in Manchester United, people are going to expect us to be at the top. But we have to understand the context.
I don’t want the team to think about a big target, just a small target by winning the first game and then to the second game,” added Amorim, who hinted he could give the fringe players a chance in their first post-season friendly.
United hope friendlies in Malaysia and against Hong Kong on Friday will bring in some much-needed revenue, with the BBC reporting that the trip will generate about $10 million (£7.8m) for the club.
Midfielder Mason Mount insisted he was delighted to arrive in steamy Kuala Lumpur despite jetting off just hours after the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
Fans gathered at Kuala Lumpur’s airport to welcome the team on Monday evening.
We got off the plane, there were hundreds of people waiting for us to take pictures and welcome us to the country. We’re excited to be over here and obviously looking forward to the game tomorrow,” he said.
Highs of 37 degrees Celsius (99 Fahrenheit) are forecast in Kuala Lumpur this week and thunderstorms predicted on the day of the game at the 84,000-capacity Bukit Jalil national stadium.
