'Massive disappointment' - Man Utd told what 'failure' under Ruben Amorim would look like this season as Patrice Evra bemoans huge drop in standards at Old Trafford

A record six English teams are participating in this season's Champions League although United are not among them, having lost the Europa League final to Tottenham and finishing in 15th in the Premier League. United missed out on an estimated £100m ($133m) in lost earnings by failing to reach the Champions League while the players also saw their salaries reduced due to not participating in the lucrative competition.

United have a massive advantage on their competitors as they have no European football to distract them while their early exit from the Carabao Cup has given them a week's rest between league matches. They have not made the most of that advantage, having won seven of their 15 matches this season. In the words of Amorim, they should have more points than the 25 they have picked up so far.

Despite their inconsistent results, United are sixth in the Premier League table, just one point behind fourth-placed Crystal Palace in fourth. And there is a strong possibility that finishing fifth in the English top flight will be enough to qualify for the Champions League again.

"Under the previous manager, we won the FA Cup and EFL Cup, but you lose a lot by not being in the Champions League," Evra told GOAL via Stake.com. "It’s going to be tough. You’ve got Arsenal, City, Chelsea and Aston Villa giving it a real go. If United do not finish in the top four then it'll be a massive disappointment - a failure. 

"When I played for United, the goal was winning four trophies per season and now we’re talking about qualifying for the Champions League. Our wages went down by 30 per cent if we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, but we never had that issue."

Evra, a five-time Premier League and one-time Champions League winner during his nine-year spell at United, is still supportive of Amorim despite the team's unconvincing results. He believes the Portuguese has made personal sacrifices in the team's best interests and he thinks he should remain in charge.

The Frenchman said: "Even in the bad times, I trust him. He's someone right now who will die for the club. That's my feeling with Amorin. This is someone who really puts the club first before himself and compared to some previous managers, I feel like he is different, but he needs maybe more players.  

"Watching United, I have to be honest, it's like playing roulette. You never know what you're going to get. One moment you're going to win, the next time you're going to lose. So you can never predict a result when United play. I need more consistency from United. I want to see a more consistent starting 11. This is getting a little bit better and the players maybe understand his philosophy, his system more. I feel Amorim has the full support of the board and that’s really important. It could be a surprise end to the season with a top four finish."

United will be hoping to follow up their win over Wolves with another victory when they welcome Bournemouth to Old Trafford on Monday. The Red Devils have fared badly against the Cherries in recent years. They were thrashed 3-0 by Andoni Iraola's side at Old Trafford in December 2024 and 2023, while they have drawn their last two visits to the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth made a strong start to the season but are in the midst of a miserable patch of results, losing four and drawing two of their last six games to sink to 13th in the standings ahead of their trip to Manchester.