Ruben Amorim set minimum Man United target in no uncertain terms - 'We're going to change it'

Ruben Amorim’s bottom line for this season is to ensure Manchester United qualify for Europe via any tactical means necessary, says Dimitar Berbatov.

Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea keeps the club stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League table, sitting 13th and four points off the top seven. They are six points off fifth, the guaranteed automatic Europa League qualification spot, but can finish lower and still qualify for Europe.

Should the winners of the FA Cup and League Cup finish in a Champions League place, the respective prizes of Europa League and Europa Conference League qualification get passed down to the next positions in the table - namely sixth and seventh.

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United finished eighth last season but their FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City meant they qualified for this season’s Europa League, causing seventh-place Newcastle United to miss out on European competition altogether.

Berbatov believes qualification for Europe is a minimal requirement for Amorim, who starts his tenure on November 11. However, the former United striker is intrigued to see how the new boss will set up his team given the players he has at his disposal.

Appearing on Sky Sports, Berbatov was asked what Amorim’s on-field objective is this season. “Qualifying for Europe, at least,” he replied.

“I think they can manage that. It does [seem a long way off] but at the same time, as we have seen, Man City can lose points, Arsenal can lose points. Liverpool are top, alright - but they have a chance.”

He added: “I’m curious to see, coming into the team, is he [Amorim] going to stick to the system that brought him success in Portugal - a good league but the Premier League is up there, one of the best in the world.

“Is he going to stick to the system? Or when he sees the players say, 'OK we need the points and the result, we’re going to change it a little bit and maybe see what happens'.”

Jamie Carragher unpacked how Amorim will contrast with Erik ten Hag in regard to adopting a clear style of play, which could ultimately come at the expense of some transfer exits. Amorim has used a back three for nearly all of his 228 games in charge of Sporting.

Carragher analysed: “We’ve spoken for years about Erik ten Hag not really having an idea for what’s his style of play. I think if Ruben Amorim comes away from that so quickly... I think he’s got to say ‘this is what I’m about, this is my plan’.

“The players might not be 100% suited because they won’t be, they’re not his players, they’re not the squad he’s built. But he’s almost got to put an idea to this team about what he wants, his principles, his play, his system.

“He’s not writing this season off but almost building a lot of this squad - not everybody - for next season and then getting to the summer transfer window and bringing players in that suit him.”