Ruben Amorim says he has not yet decided his starting XI for the Europa League final | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim says Europa League Final places are available to Manchester United stars as they focus on their trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea tomorrow.

Amorim was facing the press at the pre-match press conference and explained how his team needed to prepare for the game.

“The best way is to face the game like we should face it. It’s to win the game. We need to perform, we need to win points in the Premier League and that is the feeling.

“We talked about it after West Ham, we need to improve in the way we face competitions and staying focused on every moment of the game, because against West Ham, we had clear situations to score.

“In West Ham’s first opportunity, they scored one goal, so these small details matter,” he said. “The only way I know to prepare for a final is, in a normal game in the league, we must play the same way as a final.

“We are trying to recover. The best way to prepare for the [Europa League] final is to play the game, and then the players have to understand that if you play or do not play against Chelsea, it means nothing to the final.”

“I’m just preparing the game against Chelsea, that is my focus, and we want to win and to perform.”

Amorim also suggested he will field a strong side tomorrow rather than rest players.

He then went on to say he had not decided his final XI for Wednesday’s final.

“I don’t know [it],” he said.

“I know already the starting XI I am thinking for Chelsea and then I will see [for Tottenham]. Even the way we play there against Chelsea, I will see it and it is going to be important for the next one.”

Pushed on whether performances against Chelsea could influence his selection, he said: “Yes, that is clear.”

Again, it [Chelsea] is going to be a massive part for the next [game] so we need to perform and they need to perform. That is an important thing.

“If there is a player that can get an injury, he’s not recovered for this game [Chelsea], and we can risk them for the final, he will not play. But if it’s not that situation we’ll have a lot of time to recover. And we cannot spend eight or nine days without a game, that is a bad thing for the final.”

The next question was whether he had “ring-fenced” any players for the final, with Leny Yoro mentioned. His response suggested he doubted Yoro will be available.

“Leny was the same as Mattha [De Ligt], I was thinking about the next season, the next squad, the rest will be ready for the match.”

Asked if Luke Shaw’s substitution was subbed immediately after Yoro was injured to protect him for the final, he said:

“Yes it was. That was clear.

“We cannot take a risk with several players, especially that kind of position. It’s his history, we have to manage minutes, like Mason Mount, who’s ready but we are trying to build them a little longer to cope. Then in the future they will be okay.”

Finally, he was asked whether he felt United’s league position is a fair reflection of their ability.

“It is hard to talk about that without looking like a crazy guy, but if you see the XG (expected goals), for example, in the last games, ours is bigger,” he said.

“Against Wolves, we are so near and they score a set-piece. This was the first time they reach our goal and they score and we had our opportunities, especially in the second half.

“I can understand that but it is hard to talk about that in this moment. Let’s focus on finishing in a good way and then we will prepare the future at the end of the season.’

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images

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