16/05/2025

FRIDAY | MAY 16, 2025

30

SPORTS

No chance!

Ű BY SIMON PEACH

Amorim ‘far from quitting’ as he plots European glory for Man Utd

R UBEN AMORIM says there is no chance he will quit Manchester United anytime soon and admitted Champions League qualification is more important to him than lifting the Europa League. But the under-fire head coach acknowledged returning to European football’s top table could be a poisoned chalice given the time needed to transform the stuttering side. United’s season can be salvaged somewhat against Tottenham in next Wednesday’s (Thurs 3am Malaysian time)Europa League final, with the victor earning silverware and a spot in the Champions League despite poor Premier League campaigns. The Red Devils sit 16th, just a point and a spot above Spurs, after Sunday’s embarrassing 2-0 home loss to West Ham, which led raging Amorim to cast doubt over his future should “brave” summer moves fail. “What I’m saying is that since I arrived here I’m always talking about the standards,” the head

Carrington,” he said. “That we need more time to do, so we’re not thinking game by game by game, and then you have the squad. “We proved this year that we need to be a better squad if we want to win European games and then to be really competitive during the Premier League. That is going to be tough. My feeling is that.” But to him missing out on Champions League football is not all bad, Amorim said: “It is going to be really bad. I don’t want to use that as an excuse. “It is going to be really tough, and the patience of the fans and you guys (in the media) next year if we don’t win it is going to be on the limit and we have to be perfect to continue with everything. I know that, so it’s not going to be better in that way.” – The Independent

first European defeat of the campaign would mean a first season without continental football since 2014-15. Asked whether silverware or Champions League qualification is more important to him, Amorim said: “Personally, for me, I think Champions League is more important for everything, to prepare the next season. “And we are supposed to be in Champions League, and Europa League here is not enough, and you have that feeling here. “The best way to help us to get in the top in a few years is Champions League. It’s not the title, it’s not the cup.” But Amorim admitted qualification would be a double-edged sword given it would stop him getting “more time with the team”. “We need to arrange a lot of things in

coach said when pushed on those post-match remarks. “I cannot see the team having these results, especially in the Premier League, and not say nothing and not take the responsibility. It’s just that. “I have a clear idea what to do. I understand the problems of the team, so I’m far from quitting. “What I’m saying is that we need to perform and we have this season, and in the future we need to perform or else they will change us. That is a normal thing.” Before the trip to Bilbao comes, Saturday’s (3.15am) Premier League match at Chelsea, who are pushing to earn Champions League qualification with a top-five finish. United will also be in the competition if they win the Europa League at San Mames, where a

Liverpool ‘hold meeting’ with Wirtz LIVERPOOL FC reportedly met with Florian Wirtz and his family earlier this week to pitch a summer move to Anfield. Manchester City and Bayern Munich have also been heavily linked with the German international, who has racked up 22 goal contributions in 30 Bundesliga games this campaign. With popular Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso joining Real Madrid at the end of the season, it is now deemed inevitable that Wirtz will take the next step in his young career. In City, Liverpool and Bayern, he has three of the top sides in Europe chasing his services. Bayern were presumed to be the front-runners, with Wirtz reportedly making a verbal commitment that he would join up with fellow German starlet Jamal Musiala to form a dynamic attacking midfield pairing at the Allianz Arena. But senior figures in Munich would reportedly need to reshuffle the squad in order to free up the funds necessary to sign the 22-year old, who could leave Leverkusen for as much as £126 million (RM693m). That has seemingly opened the door to two Premier League heavyweights. Reports indicate that City put their case forward on Tuesday by showing Wirtz and his family around their state-of-the-art training facilities. The Wirtz clan are also understood to have met with key personnel at the club as they weigh up their next move. But in another twist to the pre window transfer saga, German tabloid Bild claim that Liverpool were also active during Wirtz’s visit to England. The report states that Wirtz and his father, Hans, who is also his agent, met with Reds bosses on Tuesday. He may not be the only Leverkusen high-flyer to end up at Anfield during the upcoming transfer window. The newly-crowned Premier League champions have ramped up their pursuit of full-back Jeremie Frimpong. The Dutch international could compete with Conor Bradley for the right-back starting berth on Merseyside, with current starter Trent Alexander-Arnold expected to join Real Madrid upon the expiration of his contract. – Express Newspapers

Manchester United’s Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim leads a team training session at the Carrington Training Complex. – AFPPIC

Manager paying for staff’s Bilbao tickets

MANCHESTER UNITED manager Ruben Amorim has addressed paying for staff to take their families to the Europa League final out of his own pocket. The club’s part-owners, Ineos, offered staff members the option to purchase two tickets instead of funding a complimentary trip to Bilbao. Sir Jim Ratcliffe have set about slashing the costs of running United in order to allocate more money to improving the squad. They saved up to £10 million (RM55m) by making 250 staff redundant last year, and have since followed that up with another round of layoffs which could affect 200 jobs. United have had a miserable season but Amorim could cap it off on a positive note by beating Tottenham in the Basque Country next week. And he is so determined for the whole club to be on board with their potential success that he claims forking out for the tickets himself was an easy decision. “The situation is simple,“ he said during a press conference yesterday. “We know that we have had a lot of things with people leaving and changes in

the staff.

“In this moment, in our club, sometimes it is hard (to know) when to give and when to take. It is complicated for the club to start giving to other members of staff. It is a really hard position. “That situation was explained and in that moment I could help. It is not going to change my life to help the staff to be there, to be better for the final. “All the players had the same reaction. Everyone wants the staff there, their families there. It is hard to manage things in our club, so it is a simple thing.” United are planning to hold a low-key barbecue at their Carrington training complex if they win Europe’s second-tier club competition, rather than celebrate with an open-top bus parade. United have not staged an open bus parade since winning their last Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, and there were no such celebrations when they last won the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017, or when they lifted either the Carabao Cup or FA Cup under Erik ten Hag. – Express Newspapers/The Independent

Major blow for Spurs as Kulusevski goes under knife

Ű BY WILL CASTLE

his return from a foot problem against Palace. “Firstly, from a physical standpoint, he is good,” Postecoglou said. “It was good for him to get minutes yesterday and he had a good session today. “It was important he got some minutes yesterday against Crystal Palace because he needed them, more for himself physiologically. “He had a good session today. He was never going to do the whole session because he played yesterday. He feels good and we’ve still got eight or nine days to go, plus a game on Friday where we can build him up. “It’s great to have him available. He’s been a big catalyst this year and a big driver.” – The Independent

Tottenham’s quarterfinal and semifinal triumphs in Europe, putting him in line to feature in Bilbao next week. However, he now joins James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall on the treatment table, both of whom are confirmed out for the showpiece at San Mames. Ange Postecoglou seemed to reassure fans that Kulusevski’s injury was not serious, saying “it’s more of a knock than anything more significant” on Monday. This statement now seems ill-advised with the Swede facing an almighty race against time to be fit for the final. Postecoglou did have better news on the Son Heung-min front after the Tottenham skipper made

DEJAN KULUSEVSKI has undergone surgery just a week before Tottenham battle Manchester United in the Europa League final. The club confirmed Kulusevski suffered an injury to his right patella in their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace last weekend, with the Swede going under the knife on Wednesday following further specialist consultation. Spurs have not explicitly ruled him out for the season and say he will commence his rehabilitation with their medical staff immediately. The 25-year-old only returned from a foot injury last month but was involved in both of