Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has confirmed that he will publicly apologize to the club’s supporters following their final home match of the season. The apology will come on the back of a deeply disappointing campaign, culminating in a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final – United’s last opportunity to salvage silverware or a place in European competition for next season.
As the Red Devils prepare to host Aston Villa in their concluding Premier League fixture on Sunday, Amorim expressed his determination to speak openly and honestly to fans during the traditional post-match lap of honour at Old Trafford. “An apology is clear. An explanation, you don’t have time,” Amorim stated. “I will be honest with the fans and I will say what is in my mind and what is in my heart.”
The manager emphasized the importance of honoring club tradition despite the team’s poor performance. “It’s tradition and we have to face it. It will be the biggest mistake if we don’t do that,” Amorim said of the lap of honour. “I know that the manager addresses the public, I will do that because it’s the minimum. The least I can do is to talk with the fans and to say what I want to say. I will decide tomorrow, I have an idea, so we will do that because if there is a season that we need to do it, it’s this one.”
Since taking charge in November, Amorim has only managed six Premier League victories in 26 matches, leaving the team in a precarious position. Should results not go their way, United could finish the season in 17th place – a single spot above relegation. Despite the lack of tangible progress on the pitch, Amorim maintains that the club is in a better state behind the scenes than when he first arrived.
“Things can change fast,” he acknowledged. “But to reach the kind of level that we need to be as Manchester United is going to take time. I cannot say how many windows, how many years we need to reach that point. But we can improve. That is clear.”
Amorim also admitted that the club’s internal issues were more severe than he initially anticipated. “Yes, the problems for me were deeper than I was thinking,” he said. “I can watch, I can feel it during training at Carrington, all our organisation, then it’s not the problems, but the stability in our club. Everybody is changing, all the departments are changing. So we did that in one year. In six months, we are doing everything, so everything is more difficult, but I think we are getting some steps to improve things. You cannot see that because results are so poor, but we are in a better place, that I can guarantee you.”
Questions surrounding the futures of key players like club captain Bruno Fernandes and young star Alejandro Garnacho remain unanswered. Fernandes has been linked with a potential move to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, while Garnacho expressed frustration over his lack of playing time in the Europa League final. Amorim declined to comment on either situation, stating, “The focus is the last game. I don’t know what is going to happen. We have a plan, we were prepared for both situations – with Champions League and without Champions League. We have an idea of the type of squad we want but now we focus on the game.”
As the season draws to a painful close, Amorim’s words will be watched closely by fans eager for accountability and signs of a path forward.