Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim believes it will do his players good to leave Kuala Lumpur with the sound of boos ringing in their ears after a 1-0 loss to ASEAN All-Stars.
After ending a desperate Premier League campaign with a victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, the club flew 6,600 miles to Malaysia only to find there was no respite from their troubles.
Less than 24 hours after Wolves striker Matheus Cunha was cleared to have a medical before completing a £62.5m move to Old Trafford, United’s old goalscoring failings struck again in the first match of the post-season tour to Asia.
In temperatures of more than 30 degrees and high humidity, Amorim’s side failed to take a succession of chances despite regular substitutions which meant they ended up using 25 outfield players.
A second-half goal from Myanmar winger Maung Maung Lwin was enough to give a South East Asia XI victory in front of an official attendance of 72,550 at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, triggering boos from a substantial portion at the final whistle from fans who had paid up to £260 to watch United on their first visit to Malaysia since 2009.
“I always feel guilty for the performance of the team since the first game I was here,” said Amorim.
“The boos maybe is something we need because every game we lost in the Premier League the fans were always there. I felt when we finished every time the supporters were with us. Let’s see for next season.”
The United boss would not offer any update on the Cunha situation, stating firmly: “You have to wait for that for the next season.
“It is for you guys (the media) to talk about. I won’t confirm anything. I have no news.
“We will see, but there will be some changes.”
United finished 15th in the Premier League, on 42 points – accepted to be the club’s worst campaign since the 1973-74 relegation season.
They also lost the Europa League final to Tottenham 1-0 in Bilbao to miss out on a place in next season’s Champions League.
It is thought the trip will generate about $10m (£7.8m) for the club, but comes at the end of a season where United have played 60 games in all competitions.
While Amorim refused to offer any insight into the Cunha situation, United’s rebuilding is gathering speed.
Veteran back-up goalkeeper Tom Heaton, 39, is set to sign a one-year contract extension, while United expect to discover next week whether they have been successful in their attempts to bring Ipswich striker Liam Delap to the club.
Delap is available for £30m following Ipswich’s relegation to the Championship, and there has been a huge amount of interest in him.
However, United feel Delap’s decision will be between them and Chelsea, and that the player wants his future resolving before this summer’s European Under-21 Championships.
England U21 boss Lee Carsley is due to name his squad on 6 June for the tournament, which begins in Slovakia five days later.
There is still no word on whether skipper Bruno Fernandes might be tempted by a big-money offer from Saudi Arabia, but he is travelling to Hong Kong with the rest of the squad for the final leg of United’s Asia trip on Friday.
Winger Alejandro Garnacho will also be on the plane even though he has been told he can find a new club.
Speaking to United’s own media before the defeat, chief executive Omar Berrada said the club had a vision for what they wanted to achieve.
“I can’t talk about specifics but I can say that we have been planning for many months now and we were ready for all the different scenarios,” he said.
“Now we know what we need to do, we have a very clear idea of where we need to invest in the squad to improve.
“Now it is a question of executing that plan and doing it in a way that is prudent but is with ambition at the same time.”
The future of striker Rasmus Hojlund will be a talking point if Delap does join Cunha in joining United.
Hojlund scored four goals in 32 Premier League appearances this season and Amorim is left hoping the summer triggers some kind of transformation in the Dane’s form.
“Sometimes you go to holiday, then you arrive [back] on the first day, start a new season and even the environment in training ground can help all these players have more confidence,” he said.
“We do have a lack of goals. We will try to assess that and be prepared.”
There are still around 10,000 tickets left for Friday’s game at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong stadium.
Asked why, having seen what they had just witnessed, why local fans should pay to watch United, Amorim drew on his experiences as a Benfica-supporting youngster in Portugal.
“If you can afford it – and that is the important thing – then you support your club,” he said.
“I had my club as a young kid and no matter what the situation, I was there.
“It was difficult supporting Benfica in the 1990s as they struggled a lot. But I never stopped going.
“These people believe in Manchester United no matter what the context.”
[BBC]