Amorim told Europa League qualification is ‘mandatory’ in first Man Utd season

Ruben Amorim must at least guide Manchester United back to the Europa League in his first season as manager of the club.

That is the view of former Manchester City defender Danny Mills, whose former side were beaten 4-1 by Amorim and Sporting CP in the Champions League earlier this month.

Amorim has been hired by Man Utd to replace Erik ten Hag after the Dutchman was sacked midway through his third season at Old Trafford.

After taking charge of his final games in Lisbon, including the famous continental win over Man City, Amorim started his work at United during the international break.

His first game at the helm comes this Sunday at Ipswich Town and while Mills acknowledges that the task of rebuilding United's squad is a long-term project, he believes there is still a certain level of results that Amorim needs to achieve in the 2024-2025 season. .

“Amorim needs to find out which players fit his profile and want to join his project,” former England international Mills told Stats Perform.

“That will take about six months. After that he will have to remove some players and bring in new ones.

“However, this season they still need success. European football – Europa League – is probably mandatory. They should avoid the Conference League.

“Without being disrespectful, third-tier European football is not good enough for Manchester United, so it has to be the Europa League or the Champions League.

“The Europa League is very feasible and not making it would be a huge disappointment.

“There are still good players at the club and they still have to aim for the Champions League, but… [getting into the top four] will take good coaching, a big turnaround and maybe a little bit of luck.”

Amorim is the seventh different manager to take charge of the club since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

The 39-year-old won three Portuguese league titles with Benfica as a player, while leaving Sporting as head coach after leading them to two league titles and two Taca da Liga trophies.

Sporting also started this season by winning all eleven league games under Amorim before his departure.

“The appointment of Ruben Amorim is a good one,” said Mills. 'You have to look at the people involved [in the appointment] also.

“Dan Ashworth hasn't made too many wrong decisions as a sporting or technical director. Throughout his career, with West Brom, England, Brighton and Newcastle, his recruitment has been very good.

“Jason Wilcox, who is under him, did incredibly well at Manchester City. He identified a lot of young players who, if they didn't become stars at City, became stars elsewhere.

“The recruitment of managers, coaches and players will go well, but it will take time and at least two or three transfer windows will be needed.

“I like that Amorim came in and said, 'Okay, that's it. A fresh start.' He's moved away from the Ferguson era that people keep harping on about.

“More than a decade ago we knew how good Manchester United were, but football moves on. Liverpool went through a similar phase after their success in the 1980s.”

Amorim takes over at United, where the club is thirteenth in the Premier League with fifteen points from eleven games and only one win from four games in the Europa League.

Mills believes United fans have plenty to say about the new boss's approach, both on and off the pitch.

“Football has evolved faster than ever before in the last ten years and Amorim handles the press well,” he said.

“When Sporting beat Manchester City, he admitted they played well but had a bit of luck. People appreciate that honesty.

“Fans and pundits are now more knowledgeable than ever before, thanks to the amount of football they consume and the opinions they hear, especially on social media.”

After the clash with Ipswich, Amorim will face Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League and Everton in the Premier League in their first two home games.

He will then take the Red Devils to the Emirates Stadium for a big match against Arsenal on December 4.

United reached the Europa League this season by winning the FA Cup under Ten Hag and they have that potential path again this season, while they are also in the EFL Cup, a competition in which they play Tottenham in the quarter-finals.

Winning the Europa League itself, meanwhile, would mean qualifying for the Champions League.

But while there are multiple routes open to Amorim in his bid to secure a continental spot, the Opta supercomputers are not happy with his chances of doing so via United's league placement.

After their poor start to the season, United have just a 13.2% chance of finishing in the top six, and a 33.1% chance of reaching the top eight.

As things stand, there is a good chance they will finish between ninth and 11th, meaning they are on course for their worst ever Premier League finish unless Amorim can lead a rapid revival.