Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says Europa League draw cannot distract from Premier League clash at Everton.
Who: Everton vs Manchester United
What: English Premier League
Where: Goodison Park, Liverpool, United Kingdom
When: Saturday at 12:30pm (12:30 GMT)
Follow Al Jazeera‘s live text and photo commentary stream of the match.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says he will not be distracted by the UEFA Europa League draw against Real Sociedad and is fully focused on Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Red Devils were drawn against the Spaniards in the last 16 in Europe on Friday. The competition represents United’s best chance of reaching next season’s Champions League, which also had its draw for the next round made at the event in Nyon, Switzerland.
Amorim’s side are languishing in 15th spot in the English top flight – one point behind their hosts at Goodison Park in the early Premier League kickoff on Saturday.
“I just want to win against Everton,” Amorim told reporters at his pre-match news conference. “We are in a difficult situation in the Premier League, and we have a lot of issues to solve in every game.
“If I see our performances and focus on Real Sociedad or think about trophies in the moment, it is not the right way to do my job.”
Everton have won four of their last five games to pull clear of the relegation zone, which they and United are 13 and 12 points clear of respectively.
It makes the trip to the Toffees all the more awkward for Amorim’s side, who have lost three of their last four in the Premier League, including their last match at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Spurs’ 1-0 win over Man Utd saw them go above the Red Devils in the bottom half ⬆️ pic.twitter.com/33dKNcNf3M
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 17, 2025
The Portuguese coach, who took charge at Old Trafford in November when he replaced Erik ten Hag, has won only four of his last 14 league games. He will come face to face with David Moyes, the man who replaced Alex Ferguson as United manager in 2013, in Saturday’s match.
United have not won the Premier League title since the final season of Ferguson’s tenure, and Amorim admitted the Old Trafford-based outfit have plenty of work to do to turn around the fortunes of England’s most decorated club.
“We are in a difficult situation in the Premier League, and we have a lot of issues to solve in every game,” Amorim said. “We have more problems than solutions. That is clear.
“What I see in training is they are improving and creating relationships.
“Even the sounds of the training is different. We have to use that in the game and see it in the game and take that step.
“We are bonding, and we understand the way we want to play, but in the game, we struggle a lot.”
Everton team news
Everton welcome back midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure from a one-game ban after he was sent off in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool.
The Toffees’ injury list remains a lengthy one, however, with eight players absent, including Iliman Ndiaye, Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Manchester United team news
Amorim’s hopes of a return to winning ways have been boosted by the return of Christian Eriksen, Manuel Ugarte and Leny Yoro for United’s final trip to Goodison Park.
However, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw are among those who remain on a lengthy injury list.
Head-to-Head
This is the 196th meeting between the sides with Manchester United winning on 91 occasions and Everton emerging victorious in 56 of the games.
The Toffees have lost their last five Premier League games against United.
Your Premier League weekend starts TODAY 🤩 pic.twitter.com/vJO1yPNoyZ
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 21, 2025
