Ruben Amorim has delivered a damning assessment of Manchester United following their 4-3 defeat at Brentford, admitting that his side "need to change" after extending their winless Premier League run to six matches.
The Portuguese manager was brutally honest in his evaluation of United's performance, which he described as "a reflection of our season".
"They have to understand we cannot do this anymore, we know the context of the season and we need to change that," Amorim said after Sunday's loss.
The defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium marked United's 16th Premier League loss of the season, their worst record in 35 years, and mathematically consigns them to a bottom-half finish.
Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim has made a worrying admission over his team's chances next season
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Kevin Schade scored twice for Brentford, with a Luke Shaw own goal and Yoane Wissa's strike making it 4-1 before United showed late fight.
Mason Mount had initially put Amorim's men ahead with his first goal of the campaign.
Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo netted late consolations in a match where Amorim made eight changes to his starting lineup.
Most alarmingly, Amorim admitted that United are fundamentally unprepared for the challenges that lie ahead should they secure Champions League qualification through the Europa League.
"We are not ready to play in the Premier League, be competitive, and to be in the Champions League," Amorim told Sky Sports.
This stark assessment comes despite United being just one match away from European glory, holding a commanding 3-0 lead over Athletic Bilbao in their Europa League semi-final.
The contrast between United's European form and domestic struggles could not be more pronounced.
Amorim described the situation as a "real dilemma" for the club, acknowledging the need to win the Europa League while recognising their domestic shortcomings.
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"We need to win, and we need to fight to win this competition, to give something to our fans, and to go to the Champions League," he explained.
"Then we will have time to prepare the team to cope with those two competitions."
The United boss was clear about his priorities: "Thursday is the most important game. The end of this season is very important."
