Three games from glory, Man Utd begin to show never-say-die DNA’
Ruben Amorim made a pretty significant point in the aftermath of his side’s staggering 5-4 comeback win against Lyon. A point that underlined the high stakes game his first part-season at Manchester United has become.
Sitting in the media room at Old Trafford, about at hour after his players had been careering around the pitch taking in their achievement after coming from 4-2 down with six minutes of extra time remaining to conjure up a sensational victory, Amorim took a deep breath and offered a little analysis. “This kind of moment can help the players a lot in this kind of season,” the Portuguese head coach said. “It can create some connection with the fans and the players and we can forget for a few minutes what kind of season we are having.
“Today is a good feeling but tomorrow we start everything again.” For United, Friday will mark the start of preparations for Wolves at home. Their manager Vitor Pereira was in the Old Trafford stands for the start of the Europa League epic, but like many supporters he had headed for the exit before the drama-fuelled ending. Pereira knows the outcome suits his team. United have to recover from such a draining experience. Amorim hinted at changes being made to protect tired players. Wolves could end up facing a very weakened team.
“We have to take a risk and save some players,” said Amorim. “If you look at our season, the most important thing for everybody is Europa League.” So, United’s season boils down to the two games against Spain’s Athletic Bilbao and, maybe, a final against Bodo/Glimt from Norway or Tottenham.
