RUBEN AMORIM warned his Manchester United stars that their Europa League final places are on the line.
United, a lowly 16th in the Prem and on a dismal run of TWO points from their last seven games, visit Chelsea on Friday night.
But the Portuguese boss will NOT accept players downing tools — and says he has not yet picked his team for Wednesday’s final against Tottenham.
Asked if players still have a chance to make the starting XI for Bilbao, Amorim said: “That is clear.
“I know the starting XI I am thinking for Chelsea — then I will see.
“Even the way we play against Chelsea I will see it — and it will be important for the next one.
“We have to try to recover. The best thing to prepare for the final is to play the game and then the players have to understand if you play or don’t play against Chelsea, it means nothing to the final.
“That is important. I am just preparing [for] the game of Chelsea. That’s my focus.”
Amorim is unlikely to risk defensive duo Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt for the trip to Stamford Bridge.
And their injury-hit campaigns have left the manager wondering if he needs to look for a new centre-back this summer.
Man Utd ratings vs West Ham as Ugarte awful and Mainoo invisible in latest horror show
MANCHESTER UNITED dropped to 16th in the Premier League after suffering an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to West Ham at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim named a strong team for United’s return to domestic duty, but not even Amad Diallo could save the day.
United gave fans a lively start, but reverted back to factory settings after the visitors took the lead inside 27 minutes.
West Ham picked off United against the run of play, before former Man Utd star Aaron Wan-Bissaka came back to haunt his old club.
The full-back fed a clever ball through to Mohammed Kudus, who thrashed a low cross into the six yard box for Tomas Soucek to tap home.
United got caught cold again and were the masters of their own undoing, after Kudus pounced on Manuel Ugarte’s mess up to set up Jarrod Bowen, who doubled West Ham’s lead in the 58th minute.
Apart from some bright moments from Amad, this was another awful performance from the home side, as West Ham became the SIXTH team to the double over United this season.
The Red Devils haven’t haven’t won a Prem game since their 3-0 win at Leicester on March 16, which incidentally was the last team West Ham beat in February.
Here’s how SunSport’s Katherine Walsh rated every Man Utd star’s performance at Old Trafford…
A striker, a No .10 and a central midfielder are currently the main priorities this summer.
But Yoro, signed from Lille last summer for an initial £42million, has started only 12 games in his debut season, while De Ligt, who joined from Bayern Munich for £38.5m, has spent the last few weeks on the treatment table.
Amorim said: “Leny was the same as Matthijs.
“I was thinking about next year, the squad if we need another guy, if it is a long injury.
“That is my concern. It is not just about the final. Of course, I want every player fit.
“But Leny had that problem in his foot and I was so concerned about the next season, the next squad, the way we build up the squad.
“That was my biggest concern.”
Amorim says he will not take any risks with players who have had injury worries in recent weeks.
He said: “If there is a player that has not recovered for the game and it would put him at risk for the final, he will not play.”
Read the full article here