Ruben Amorim says Manchester United 'were not prepared to play in Europe and the Premier League' this season
Updated 26/08/2025 at 15:29 GMT+1
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Ruben Amorim has said the schedule of playing Europe and the Premier League this season would have been too much for his Manchester United side, who still need "time to develop". Despite last season's domestic struggles, which resulted in a record-low 15th-placed finish in the league, United reached the final of the UEFA Europa League, where they were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao.
Man Utd 'not prepared' for European football and 'need to develop' - Amorim
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Manchester United were "not prepared" to compete both domestically and in Europe this season, Ruben Amorim said on Tuesday.
Amorim’s side missed out on European football after finishing 15th in the Premier League last season and losing 1-0 in the final of the UEFA Europa League to Tottenham.
However, the Portuguese boss believes that could be a blessing in disguise as it will give him more time to assert his influence on the squad and ingrain his style of football.
"We were not prepared to play in Europe and the Premier League," Amorim told reporters ahead of United’s Carabao Cup second-round tie away to Grimsby Town on Wednesday evening.
"We need time to develop as a team."
Amorim took over from Erik ten Hag in November of last year and had little time to implement changes with a busy schedule.
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He enjoyed a strong start to his tenure before things quickly unravelled. After a promising pre-season and with some big-name signings at his disposal, there was renewed hope things could turn around for United this season.
There was still optimism after the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on the opening Premier League weekend, but the 1-1 draw away to Fulham at the weekend offered a reminder of the gulf that exists between United and the best teams in the country.
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In particular, Amorim has spoken of how new £73.7 million striker Benjamin Sesko needs time to settle and adjust to the rhythm of the Premier League, while the likes of Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo, Andre Onana and Joshua Zirkzee have all had limited game time so far this season.
"We have three games this week," Amorim added. "We have quality players and we need to rotate to try to win every game.
"It is a normal thing that happens in other clubs. I think we were not prepared to play in Europe. That is my feeling.
"We need time to prepare for every game. The games are really competitive. We need time to build the base and then, in the future, to move forward.
"We will reach a moment when we need to have Europe for everybody to play games."
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