Man Utd star gives Ruben Amorim major boost as new response sent to Gary Neville
Manchester United trained at Carrington on Wednesday morning and had a welcome face back in the mix ahead of their crucial Europa League quarter-final first leg against Lyon
Manchester United have been boosted by the return to training of Kobbie Mainoo ahead of their crucial Europa League tie against Lyon. United travel to France for the first leg of their quarter-final on Thursday night knowing the competition carries huge significance to their season.
Ruben Amorim’s side sit a lowly 13th in the Premier League and their only hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League rest on winning the Europa League. They got past Real Sociedad comfortably in the last round, but now have to deal with Lyon, who are fifth in Ligue 1 and in good form, having won eight of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
United drew 0-0 with Manchester City on Sunday but have been dogged by inconsistency and injuries in recent months. And while Amorim will be without Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo, Matthijs de Ligt, Jonny Evans and Ayden Heaven for the Lyon game, Mainoo is now back in contention.
The midfielder has been out for two months since suffering a calf injury in training. He has missed 10 games in all competitions, but was a full participant in the club’s training session at Carrington on Wednesday morning before the team fly out to Lyon.
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There were positive signs from the goalless draw against City on Sunday, but the drab nature of the spectacle prompted some harsh criticism from the likes of Roy Keane and Gary Neville. Former United right-back Neville raged against the “micromanaged” and “robotic” players having been disappointed with the lack of blood and thunder on show.
Amorim said Neville’s assessment was “quite fair” in his post-match press conference and has now given a more detailed reply to the Sky Sports pundit. "In this game, they are seeing the games and in our moment, with the season that we are doing, we have to accept it and this is quite fair,” he told Sky Sports.
"Sometimes at the end of the game, you don't like it because you are trying really hard to change things and they are talking about your players. But then, one day later, you can understand. It's fair and I understand what he's saying."
The Europa League is absolutely key for United, who have little chance of qualifying for a place in a European competition via the Premier League. They will play Lyon over two legs before a potential semi-final against Rangers or Athletic Bilbao waiting.
The financial boost that comes with success in the Europa League – the winner takes home £5million – and qualification for the Champions League would be a timely boost for United, who posted a loss of £113.2m in their most recent accounts.
It would also help them attract new players in the summer transfer window, with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres keen to move to teams competing at the highest level.
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