Manchester United crashed to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of West Ham United in their Premier League game at Old Trafford on Sunday. The latest loss means the Red Devils are currently 16th in the table.
The home side never looked to be at the races against the Hammers, with most already thinking about the Europa League final in Bilbao.
Ruben Amorim has kept parroting this mentality that it is Europa League or bust for the club this season, and most players believe these league games are inconsequential.
Every league position is worth £3 million in prize money, something INEOS could do with given the club’s current finances. But the players do not seem to care.
Shocking mentality
Fans are not being offered discounts for the final few games, but the players seem to be content with another defeat, their 17th of the season.
The effort put in by a few was quite shameful and the head coach must address this after the game. Surely, the mentality should be that an impressive display or cameo could get you the chance to start in the final.
Kobbie Mainoo, reportedly asking for £180,000 per week to sign an extension, lazily sauntered across the pitch for 90 minutes, knowing at worst he will be a substitute for the showpiece occasion on May 21.
The squad is already stretched so thin that despite another horrendous display, Rasmus Hojlund already knows he will start against Tottenham Hotspur.
Players know they will start regardless
From having four strikers at their disposal at one point, all the club have now is a striker with four league goals all season. Even when Amorim had the chance to bring on Chido Obi in the final 10 minutes, he opted to keep the Dane on.
Leny Yoro’s second-half injury was another huge blow for the hosts, given he has been the best centre-back by miles in recent weeks.
How Amorim reshuffles his backline for the final will be intriguing to see. Fans can expect another weak starting XI against Chelsea next week and the players are likely to put in even less effort to try and void injury.
As United legends Roy Keane and Paul Scholes have stated this past week, surely the greatest club in the world should be putting in decent performances in two competitions concurrently. How the mighty have fallen!
Feature image Marc Atkins via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
