Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has confirmed he will rotate his squad for Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Brentford, prioritizing the upcoming Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Club just four days later.
After a commanding 3-0 win over Athletic Club on Thursday, Amorim emphasized that the European competition remains the club’s main focus as United sit 14th in the Premier League and the Europa League presents their only chance at silverware this season.
“The first thing is that the players who are at risk to get injured will not play, no matter what,” Amorim told reporters following the victory. “And then we are going to assess (on Friday) and the next day, who are the best players to start the game.
“Then we have to be careful because we are Manchester United and we cannot go to a game without thinking we can win this game. So the process is going to be like that. It’s going to be tough, but we passed so many things this year. It’s one more. Let’s see.”
Defender Noussair Mazraoui has already been ruled out of Sunday’s fixture after being withdrawn during Thursday’s match. Amorim cited fatigue and the risk of injury as the reason for his absence, stating the player is “at the limit to get an injury.”
Several youth players — Harry Amass, Tyler Fredricson, Jaydan Kamason, Bendito Mantato, and Chido Obi — could be given a chance to feature, having traveled to Spain for the midweek match.
In a positive development, winger Amad Diallo and center-back Matthijs de Ligt returned to action on Thursday.
Diallo made his first appearance since suffering an ankle injury in February, a setback that came during a period of impressive form.
“It was really tough on us because in that moment, (Diallo) was the player that created all the situations and then passed a little bit for Bruno (Fernandes),” Amorim said.
“So to lose a player like that in that moment with a lot of games was really hard for us and especially for Amad because he was leaving (us at) a good moment.
“But now he’s returning. You can feel that he’s not so explosive in the moment, but he’s a player with a characteristic left foot, different from (Alejandro) Garnacho, that has one against one. And we don’t have many players to do that. So it’s massive for us. And he’s one more option to play.”
Manchester United will be looking to manage squad fitness carefully while still aiming to secure a result against Brentford, with European ambitions now taking center stage.
