How Amorim, Man United made Europa League final in spite of themselves

The pressure is on at Manchester United. Wednesday's Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao, Spain, will be a £100 million lottery for Ruben Amorim and his players. It is a reality that explains why Amorim, sources tell ESPN, has been working 14-hour days at United's Carrington training ground in recent weeks, arriving at 7 a.m. daily in an attempt to fully get to grips with a job that has threatened to consume him during his turbulent six months as manager.

Amorim's early months in the job have been so difficult, with the club reaching historically low depths that have left him "really embarrassed," Amorim told Sky Sports, it is remarkable that United -- 16th in the Premier League, two places above the relegation zone -- have made it to the Europa League final. Nonetheless, they stand on a precipice in Bilbao.

If United beat Spurs at Estadio San Mamés on Wednesday, they will secure a place in next season's Champions League and the guarantee of a financial uplift of at least £100 million for playing in the competition. There's also the prestige of reclaiming a place among Europe's elite, which could make United much more appealing to potential new signings in the summer transfer window.

If United lose? Well, erase all the above, buckle up and prepare for another year of uncertainty, both financially and in terms of squad rebuilding, and then wonder whether Amorim will be around to see it through.

The 40-year-old, who arrived from Portuguese champions Sporting CP last November following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag, said last week that he is "far from quitting" after suffering 13 defeats in 25 Premier League games, before adding that it would be "normal" for the club to "change us" if United continue to fail under his leadership. In the same breath, Amorim ruled out leaving before raising the prospect that he might. Multiple sources have also told ESPN that while Amorim has been managing the team, the United hierarchy has also had to manage the manager to reassure him that he will have the backing to turn the club around.

When he took the United job last November, Amorim, who had been considered by Liverpool as a successor to Jurgen Klopp 12 months ago, had initially wanted to see out the season at Sporting and then take charge at Old Trafford this summer due to the difficulties of imposing his tactical methods on an underperforming in midseason. However, United held firm, insisting that they could not wait until the summer, so Amorim moved earlier than he had wished.

His worst fears have since been borne out, spectacularly so, and the task he took on has proven to be so much bigger than he could ever have imagined. Several sources have told ESPN that Amorim had become so disenchanted with life at United in January (after a run of one win in eight games culminated in a 3-1 home defeat by Brighton) that he was prepared to resign but was talked out of the idea by associates.

Although a United source has told ESPN that there was no formal move by Amorim to quit, it was acknowledged that he had to be reassured by senior figures at the club, including CEO Omar Berrada, that he would be backed to turn the team's fortunes around. Additionally, United's new football hierarchy -- led by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe -- remained unwavering in their belief that Amorim was the right man for the job despite the side's difficulties on the pitch.

Nonetheless, one source has told ESPN that Amorim was "visibly graying" during a dismal January, and when he celebrated his 40th birthday with a 1-0 win at Fulham at the end of the month, the United manager said, "I'm 40 today ... well, I'm 50 after spending two months at Man United!"

In March, Ratcliffe even went public with his backing of Amorim in a series of interviews in which he said, "Ruben is an outstanding young manager and I think he will be [at United] for a long time."

It was that faith in Amorim which led to him to being backed in his decision to omit Marcus Rashford from the team over the winter and seek a new club for the forward, who has been on loan at Aston Villa since January. Rashford remains United's highest-paid player, with three years still to run on his £325,000-a-week contract, but the club's leadership continues to stand behind Amorim's stance on the 27-year-old.

Despite support from those above him at United, sources in and around the club have said that Amorim has continually questioned himself -- and also the club's ability to overhaul the first-team squad to his satisfaction. They also shared that his early weeks at Old Trafford were made more challenging by the difficulties experienced by some members of his staff, who had left behind a winning team in Lisbon only to find their adjustment tough, on and off the pitch, in Manchester.

In February, ESPN was told that some first-team players were unimpressed by Amorim's coaching staff -- a claim rejected by one source as "background noise" from connections to players unable to break into the team. But with the team lurching from one bad result to another, Amorim made repeated comments in news conferences about his own shortcomings and those of his players, having described the side as the "worst team in United's history" after the Brighton defeat in mid-January.

The discord off the pitch at Old Trafford that has been fueled by a series of redundancies and cost-cutting measures at all levels of the club has added to Amorim's problems. The money-saving drive at United, driven by Ratcliffe's INEOS Group, overshadowed the FA Cup final win against Manchester City last season. Then, last week, ESPN reported that Amorim had to pay for 30 members of his backroom staff to have two tickets each for friends and family to attend the game in Bilbao due to the club refusing to foot the bill. Sources familiar with the situation tell ESPN that the first-team squad have also jointly paid for a chartered flight to northern Spain to enable friends and family to travel to the game.

In contrast, Paris Saint-Germain announced earlier this month that they will pay for all 600 club employees to attend the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Munich on May 31.

Sources have told ESPN that one senior player who is out of contract this summer has still to be told if he will be retained or released, while another has told associates that he believes his appearances are being restricted in an effort to force him to seek a move.

One established member of the squad was dismayed by Ratcliffe's critical comments in March regarding his contract and salary at the club, sources tell ESPN. Ratcliffe had criticized the previous regime's signing of players including Casemiro, Antony and Rasmus Højlund, saying that they were "overpaid and underperforming."

play

Laurens: Amorim right to be embarrassed by Man United's season

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens question Ruben Amorim's response to another Premier League defeat for Manchester United.

Despite acrimony behind the scenes, injuries to key players throughout the season (Luke Shaw, Matthijs De Ligt, Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo), cost-cutting measures and, most significantly, an abundance of dismal results and performances in the Premier League, Amorim has guided United to the Europa League final, where they will be 90 minutes from winning a major trophy and returning to the Champions League.

One source told ESPN that, in recent weeks, Amorim has started to "love" the challenge of reviving United, but that he is still battling to "get the mindset right." Those frustrations have been borne out by his comments in recent days, after the Old Trafford defeat against West Ham and when speaking at United's Europa League media day last Wednesday.

But after warning that a "storm will come" after a three-match unbeaten start as manager last December, Amorim has somehow steered through the darkest days to put United on the brink of a major trophy. It all comes down to one game in Bilbao.