Ruben Amorim responds to Roy Keane after Man Utd icon’s ‘disgrace’ rant at boss

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim says he and his players deserve all the criticism they get after ex-skipper Roy Keane called them “a disgrace” for giving up on the Premier League

Ruben Amorim says Manchester United deserve all the criticism that comes their way following the club’s worst-ever Premier League campaign. United are down in 15th place in the table with three games left to play, after a record 16 defeats in the Premier League era this season.

Former United skipper Roy Keane said it was “a disgrace” Amorim had given up on the Premier League to focus on reaching the Europa League final, where they will meet Tottenham. Amorim accepted the criticism from Keane and others, but said he had to sacrifice the league, with Europa League glory earning the winners a £100million ticket to next season’s Champions League.

“We are trying to do our best, but I agree we can do better,” said Amorim. “I don’t have anything to say about the criticism, because we deserve it.

“If we cannot accept everything in this kind of season, then I think we’re in the wrong business. I fully acknowledge that and I agree with all of the critics.

“But in this moment I think it’s really clear – we have to be smart and we have to take a risk.

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“We have to take the risk to get a lot of criticism from everybody, because the standards of Roy Keane and all these other guys are really high.

“But I have to make a choice – what is the best for the club, not what is the best for me.

“So I make a choice. In this moment, I’m going to save and try to save all the players, because it’s really important for us to win the final. We cannot save anything from the Premier League.”

Looking ahead to the final, Amorim said: “I think it’s going to be a really good game. A little bit emotional, because both teams are struggling a lot in the Premier League and want to win something.

“It’s two teams who play in the same league and know each other. It means a lot, not just to us, but also for Tottenham. It means a lot, not just for me but also for Ange [Postecoglou], after this season.

“It’s a massive game and I know it’s going to be tough for the people of Bilbao, because they wanted to play in the final at home. But for all of our squad, it’s really important to give something back to our fans this season.”

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