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“I think it’s not a crucial thing for the future of the club... (but it would be) a massive difference in our season,” Amorim told reporters
“If we win the Europa League that could change a lot of things in the way (people) see the coach”

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain: Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim said Wednesday winning the Europa League could make a “massive difference” to his team’s disappointing season, but was not vital in the big picture of the club’s future.
The Red Devils face Real Sociedad on Thursday in a last 16 clash at the Reale Arena, looking for respite from their poor domestic form.
Winning the Europa League would earn them a Champions League qualification spot for next season, which is virtually impossible for them to attain in the Premier League, where they sit 14th.
“I think it’s not a crucial thing for the future of the club... (but it would be) a massive difference in our season, especially because we are out of the (other) cups and in a bad position in the league,” Amorim told reporters.
“If we win the Europa League that could change a lot of things in the way (people) see the coach,” he joked.
Amorim, who arrived at Old Trafford in November after Erik ten Hag was sacked, believes top quality players will still be interested in joining United even if they failed to secure European football next season.
“Man United can (aim for) all the best players in the future even without Champions League in the future,” said Amorim.
“We have to change a lot of things and we’ll try to do that.
“There are more important things than winning cups in this moment, that is my view, but I understand that winning the Europa League can change everything for next season.”
Amorim said Sunday after Fulham knocked his team out of the FA Cup that United’s long-term goal should be winning the Premier League title.
“We have to think of the club as a project not just solve things in this moment,” continued the Portuguese coach.
“(We can’t think) if we win the Europa League we’ll be in amazing position in the next year... I’m trying to show the big picture to our supporters.”
The coach said his misfiring forward had been unlucky in recent games, with Rasmus Hojlund not scoring in his last 18 games and Joshua Zirkzee with just one strike in his last 16.
“There are things that are hard to explain,” said Amorim.
“Before the last match we had some games without opportunities, creating chances, that is impossible for them to score, it’s a team thing.
“But I felt in the last games... we had opportunities to score and we didn’t score, sometimes really, that’s it.”
United will be without Harry Maguire and Manuel Ugarte for the first leg clash in San Sebastian after they suffered knocks during Sunday’s FA Cup defeat by Fulham.
Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw are among various other unavailable players amid the club’s injury crisis, along with teenage striker Chido Obi, who is not registered to play in Europe.
Meanwhile Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil said he was not sure if midfielder Martin Zubimendi would be fit to face United after he was taken off during the 4-0 league defeat by Barcelona on Sunday.
Alguacil considers the Red Devils as the “big favorite” to win the Europa League.
“I don’t agree with those who say they are coming here in a bad moment, they have less wins in the league than they deserve for how they’ve played, they have a great squad and some top players,” Alguacil told a news conference.
Man United won the Europa League in 2017 and have three Champions League wins in their history, while Real Sociedad have never reached a European final.

PARIS: The trial of seven people charged in connection with alleged cyberbullying targeting the artistic director of last summer’s Paris Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies has started in a Paris court.
Thomas Jolly filed a complaint for death threats after receiving homophobic and antisemitic abuse on social networks. The online attacks erupted after Jolly’s acclaimed but controversial opening spectacle on the Seine in July — a queer-inclusive, high-energy fusion of tradition and modernity.
Local media reported that Jolly did not attend Wednesday’s hearing, with two of the people charged also not attending because they were either sick or could not make themselves available.
The abuse last summer quickly escalated, including attacks based on Jolly’s sexual orientation and wrongly assumed Israeli roots, and reportedly aimed to silence the artistic intent of the show. Jolly responded by filing a formal complaint with the Paris prosecutor’s office on July 31, prompting an investigation that led to arrests in the south of France in October 2024.
The seven people charged, ranging in age from 22 to 79, face counts of death threats, aggravated insults, and cyberbullying — serious allegations carrying the weight of potential prison time and heavy fines.
A verdict in the Jolly’s case is expected at a later date.
The arrests were seen as a first step in France’s fight against cyberbullying, which authorities noted has become increasingly sophisticated. In Jolly’s case, prosecutors pointed to the disturbing “pack behavior” of attackers acting independently to escalate the harassment, a pattern seen in other online hate campaigns.
Jolly’s complaint came after the opening ceremony prompted a storm of outrage in the wake of a contentious scene featuring drag queens and other performers. Although Jolly has repeatedly said that he wasn’t inspired by “The Last Supper,” vocal criticism of the show from some quarters interpreted it as a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting depicting Jesus Christ and his apostles.
French President Emmanuel Macron extended full support to Jolly and all performing artists who were part of the Olympics opening show. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also expressed “unwavering support” of Jolly in the face of the threats and harassment.