Manchester United not equipped for Europe this season, admits Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim believes Manchester United’s squad would not have been equipped to play European football this season.

A slow start to the Premier League has yielded one point from two matches as United turn attention to Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie at League Two Grimsby, where Amorim has promised to shuffle the pack.

United, having lost last season’s Europa League final and finished 15th in the Premier League, are not one of the nine English clubs playing European football. Amorim said that could be to his team’s long-term benefit.

“I think we were not prepared to play Europe,” he said. “That is my feeling; to have strong games in the Champions League and to play Premier League we need time to develop as a team.

“I said last season we need time to prepare for every game. The games are really competitive and we need to build to our base and then to perform. And then in the future we need to have Europe for everyone to play games.”

Signalling his intention to make changes at Grimsby, Amorim said: “We have three games this week, we have quality players and we have to rotate to try to win every game.” In the league for United, Burnley’s visit this Saturday follows Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham and the opening home defeat by Arsenal.

Several United players have been linked with an exit, including the striker Rasmus Højlund. Amorim, asked whether a player linked with a return to Serie A would play at Grimsby, said: “All the players are available, and you make the choice to get the best starting XI to win every game.”

Højlund was not on the bench at Craven Cottage. Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony are, meanwhile, in the group that the club, on Amorim’s instruction, must speed to the exit in the closing days of the transfer window.

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Amorim said of players such as Kobbie Mainoo, who is yet to play a minute this season but was on the bench at Fulham: “They just need to fight for the places and then everything can change. Sometimes one is playing and at other moments other guys are going to play, so we have the cups; we are going to have a lot of chances for everybody.”

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