'We are trying to do our best' - Ruben Amorim reacts to Roy Keane criticism

Ruben Amorim has reacted to criticism from Manchester United legend Roy Keane on their Premier League form and insists he has had to sacrifice domestic games to chase Europa League glory.

United booked their place in the Europa League final on Thursday after a 7-1 aggregate win over Athletic Club.

However, their form in Europe is a sharp contrast with their standings in the Premier League, where Amorim’s side hasn’t won a game for nearly two months.

This has led to club legend Roy Keane branding the Red Devils’ league results as “disgraceful.”

And while Amorim admits to the lapses by his team, he also reveals that the former club captain is right; he insists he’s had no choice but to prioritise the Europa League.

“We are trying to do our best, but I agree we can do better,” Amorim said.

“I don’t have anything to say about the criticism, because we deserve it.

“If we cannot accept everything in this kind of season, I think we are in the wrong business.

“I fully acknowledge that and I agree with all the critics.

“We have to be smart and we have to take a risk.

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

United have two league games against West Ham and Chelsea before the Europa League final against Tottenham in Bilbao on May 21, and Amorim plans to protect his players before facing Spurs.

Despite the admission, the Portuguese coach also reveals that he will not completely leave his key players on the bench before the final.

“Sometimes it’s better to play,” he said.

“What I will protect is the players that can get an injury. We want to be competitive also in the Premier League. Bruno [Fernandes] doesn’t have the problem of any injury, but Harry has. So we will have to manage that, but they have to play. And it’s better to play than to stay out.

“We will not have a lot of training. They will fight for the place in the final in these games. I think against Brentford we had some mistakes.

“I felt that some of our players were thinking about this game [against Athletic Club].

“So we have to manage that. But we also have to acknowledge that we are Manchester United. We need to win games, also in the Premier League.

“We have to use every game to improve, even to prepare for the final, but especially to prepare for the future.”