Man United do not have squad to compete in Europe, says coach Ruben Amorim saying domestic focus could benefit squad.
Man United not equipped for Europe this season, admits Ruben Amorim.
According to Ruben Amorim, Manchester United’s team would not have been prepared to compete in Europe this year.
After a sluggish start to the Premier League with just one point from two games, United will focus on their Carabao Cup meeting against League Two Grimsby on Wednesday, where Amorim has pledged to rearrange the starting lineup.
United is not one of the nine English teams participating in European football this season after finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final the previous season. According to Amorim, that might be advantageous for his side in the long run.
“I think we were not prepared to play Europe,” he said. “That is my feeling; to have strong games in the Champions League and to play Premier League we need time to develop as a team.
“I said last season we need time to prepare for every game. The games are really competitive and we need to build to our base and then to perform. And then in the future we need to have Europe for everyone to play games.”
Signalling his intention to make changes at Grimsby, Amorim said: “We have three games this week, we have quality players and we have to rotate to try to win every game.”
The striker Rasmus Højlund is one of several United players who have been linked to leaving the team. “All the players are available, and you make the choice to get the best starting XI to win every game,” Amorim said in response to a question about whether a player connected to a return to Serie A would play at Grimsby.
Amorim said of players such as Kobbie Mainoo, who is yet to play a minute this season but was on the bench at Fulham: “They just need to fight for the places and then everything can change. Sometimes one is playing and at other moments other guys are going to play, so we have the cups; we are going to have a lot of chances for everybody.”