Man Utd board fear Ruben Amorim will walk out of club as chiefs disappointed

Despite a disappointing Premier League campaign, bosses have no plans to sack manager Ruben Amorim, even if they lose the upcoming Europa League final. But the boardroom are concerned that the Portuguese head coach could make the decision himself to walk away.

The club's hierarchy believe it would be ludicrous to hold Amorim accountable for a disastrous season that has seen the Red Devils finish in their lowest Premier League position in half a century. They are prepared to give the 40-year-old another season to implement his tactics, although there is some discontent within the Old Trafford boardroom regarding Amorim's candid admission that the job may be too big for him.

This comes at a time when United have an opportunity to salvage their season by defeating Tottenham in Bilbao on Wednesday night to secure a spot in the Champions League next season.

The club's recruitment team has prepared two lists of potential transfer targets - one to be pursued if Amorim's team secure Champions League football and a £100million windfall by beating a Spurs side that has performed even worse than they have this season.

The other list will be less ambitious if there is no European football next season. Both lists aim to shape a squad capable of executing the tactical plan that has resulted in 13 losses in 26 Premier League games since Amorim took over from Erik ten Hag in November.

However, Amorim's harsh self-critique, suggesting he might be the worst manager in the club's history, has raised concerns that he may resign at the end of the season.

He has since backtracked on the notion that he might pay the price for failing to secure results with a squad that isn't up to scratch.

United are set to seek assurances that the ex-Sporting coach isn't considering an exit before they make any summer transfer market moves.

The club's outspoken owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is reportedly impressed with his manager's honesty.

Ratcliffe has been extremely critical of the infrastructure he found when he invested £1.27billion for a stake in the club 14 months ago, much to the chagrin of the Glazer family who remain as co-owners.