Ruben shares full fitness update
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim says he will have to uber careful with his players between now and the end of the season.
Our head coach is already missing the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, who went off injured in the game at Brentford, and wants to protect his players ahead of our Europa League final showdown with Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao.
Hot topics in his post-match press conference were Diogo Dalot's fitness, Amad and Mason Mount's push for starts and how we will approach our final three Premier League games.
Scroll down here to both read and watch, what Ruben had to say when quizzed by reporters in M16 after our latest European win...
Amorim: I'm so happy for Mason Mount Video
Amorim: I'm so happy for Mason Mount
Ruben Amorim's press conference covered Mount, Spurs, and his first European final as a coach...
Hi Ruben, congratulations, what do you make of the performance of your side and getting through to the final?
"It was a good result. If you look at both games, it was so much tougher than if you look at the result. We have so many weaknesses in the game and you can understand that in the game. But we are fighting, and we deserve, if you look at the two games, to be in the final."
Ruben I know you have said that winning won't mask a lot of things but winning it would surely give you and your team huge belief going forward? Apart from the money you get, it would be a trophy and proof you are on the right path. It will be the biggest game you've had since you've been at the club?
"I think that is clear and I read the money is not the most important, even the title as a coach is the feeling that we can do good things. The feeling to give something to our fans, even in this season, so I agree, it is not just playing Champions League next year, it is that feeling that we can change things."
"It was a good result. If you look at both games, it was so much tougher than if you look at the result. We have so many weaknesses in the game and you can understand that in the game. But we are fighting, and we deserve, if you look at the two games, to be in the final."
Ruben I know you have said that winning won't mask a lot of things but winning it would surely give you and your team huge belief going forward? Apart from the money you get, it would be a trophy and proof you are on the right path. It will be the biggest game you've had since you've been at the club?
"I think that is clear and I read the money is not the most important, even the title as a coach is the feeling that we can do good things. The feeling to give something to our fans, even in this season, so I agree, it is not just playing Champions League next year, it is that feeling that we can change things."
Ruben, can I just ask you about Mason Mount? Ever since you arrived here, you have been adamant he would be part of your plans and for the second goal you had this massive grin on your face. Can you just talk us through your feelings?
"Not just me, if you look at the bench, that is the best feeling as a coach, look at the other guys on the bench, they are so happy for Mason Mount because everyone in that dressing room sees Mason Mount doing everything he can to be available. He is a really good player and you can see both are really good goals. I think not just Mason Mount, not just me, but also the team-mates. They were so happy for him."
Ruben, you have won major titles before, but if you were to win this trophy in the context of this season and the difficulties you have had, where would this rank in your achievements?
"Every coach will say the next one is the most important. It is the title with more exposure, but I cannot say it is the most important title. Your first one is more important because you want to establish yourself as a coach and to win something, so you can say you have a title. But it would be massive, especially after this season in the Premier League. For me, it is important because it is the next one."
"Not just me, if you look at the bench, that is the best feeling as a coach, look at the other guys on the bench, they are so happy for Mason Mount because everyone in that dressing room sees Mason Mount doing everything he can to be available. He is a really good player and you can see both are really good goals. I think not just Mason Mount, not just me, but also the team-mates. They were so happy for him."
Ruben, you have won major titles before, but if you were to win this trophy in the context of this season and the difficulties you have had, where would this rank in your achievements?
"Every coach will say the next one is the most important. It is the title with more exposure, but I cannot say it is the most important title. Your first one is more important because you want to establish yourself as a coach and to win something, so you can say you have a title. But it would be massive, especially after this season in the Premier League. For me, it is important because it is the next one."
United reach the Europa League final
ArticleRuben's Reds will take on Tottenham Hotspur in an all-English affair in Bilbao.
You said you would suffer tonight as a team and that was certainly the case in the first half, do you feel it will be a similar in the final against Tottenham, who have beaten United three times this season? With that record, do you feel you are due a win over Spurs?
"Every game has its history, we lost our last three games and now we can win the next one. If you look at the odds, we are closer to winning than to lose. Both teams are going to play like all or nothing, in this kind of game, as it is quite similar with the coaches. I know that Ange [Postecoglou] has one more year [there] and it is different, the context, but we are both struggling in this context. So I don't know what is going to happen, that is a good thing. That is a bad thing about this team, I just never know. And I can try and prepare for the game but we are improving and we have more solutions. You can see that and you can take [Alejandro] Garnacho, who gives us that speed and transition, for Amad and to have that possibility can help us win games. Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, all these players, we can choose from these players to prepare for a final in a better way. We have to understand it is a final and we have to be different than in Premier League games."
"Every game has its history, we lost our last three games and now we can win the next one. If you look at the odds, we are closer to winning than to lose. Both teams are going to play like all or nothing, in this kind of game, as it is quite similar with the coaches. I know that Ange [Postecoglou] has one more year [there] and it is different, the context, but we are both struggling in this context. So I don't know what is going to happen, that is a good thing. That is a bad thing about this team, I just never know. And I can try and prepare for the game but we are improving and we have more solutions. You can see that and you can take [Alejandro] Garnacho, who gives us that speed and transition, for Amad and to have that possibility can help us win games. Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, all these players, we can choose from these players to prepare for a final in a better way. We have to understand it is a final and we have to be different than in Premier League games."
Ruben: I’m stressed about the final already! Video
Ruben: I’m stressed about the final already!
Ruben Amorim praises his game-changing substitutes, as he explains which Red ‘gave us a spark’…
What were your intentions with the substitutions with Mount and Amad? What did you make of their impact?
"They changed the game and that is credit to the players. We needed a little bit more energy and we had to keep the ball. When you play with Manu [Ugarte] and Casemiro, we lose in some areas in the way we push forward the team. Bruno Fernandes is a really good player to drive the ball but also to start the play with long passes and that can help us. Amad is to change the game because I felt Garna was tired, it was my fault as he did a really good job versus Brentford, it is hard to think about everything in these kind of games. My thinking is to always help the team to win."
Your subs that changed that game, are they capable or playing 90 minutes on Sunday and indeed in the Europa League final if you need them?
"It is going to be hard, players like Mason Mount, we have to be careful. Amad is still getting his momentum. Some players are not capable to do that. Nous [Mazraoui] we rest but you can feel Mazraoui does not have the energy in this moment and we will try to help in that department. [Diogo] Dalot is doing everything to recover and I think they will push now to be available. Some players cannot play 90 minutes and you have to protect them, to not get injuries for the final."
"They changed the game and that is credit to the players. We needed a little bit more energy and we had to keep the ball. When you play with Manu [Ugarte] and Casemiro, we lose in some areas in the way we push forward the team. Bruno Fernandes is a really good player to drive the ball but also to start the play with long passes and that can help us. Amad is to change the game because I felt Garna was tired, it was my fault as he did a really good job versus Brentford, it is hard to think about everything in these kind of games. My thinking is to always help the team to win."
Your subs that changed that game, are they capable or playing 90 minutes on Sunday and indeed in the Europa League final if you need them?
"It is going to be hard, players like Mason Mount, we have to be careful. Amad is still getting his momentum. Some players are not capable to do that. Nous [Mazraoui] we rest but you can feel Mazraoui does not have the energy in this moment and we will try to help in that department. [Diogo] Dalot is doing everything to recover and I think they will push now to be available. Some players cannot play 90 minutes and you have to protect them, to not get injuries for the final."
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