Ruben Amorim may want to look long-term at the bigger picture - but the here and now has never been more critical for .

Having exited the last weekend to , the only trophy and target United have left to play for this season is the . Failure to win the Europa League and secure an automatic for next season will cost United up to £100million in lost revenue.

Champions League qualification is worth around £60m, with an additional £20m in bonuses and prize money should they reach the last 16. On top of that, United could earn up to £20m from gate receipts for European home games, while their kit deal with Adidas includes a £10m penalty clause for every season they are not in the Champions League.

With imposing savage cost-cutting measures across the club, , the brutal truth is United simply cannot afford not to go all the way in the Europa League this season, with the team currently down in 14th place in the .

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That is why Thursday's last-16 first-leg tie, against , has assumed such huge significance for Amorim and United. “I think it’s not the crucial thing for the future of the club, that's my view,” said Amorim.

“We have to think of the club as a long project, not just some things at this moment, and that if we win the Europa League we’ll be in an amazing position in the next few years, because the problems will continue here, even with the Champions League. So that’s what I want to say.

“I know you make accounts [judgments] of my season, so I’m just trying to show that I don’t care and I’m really confident on the big goal of this club. I’m trying to show the big picture to our supporters.

“I understand that it [the Europa League] could be a massive difference in our season, especially because we're out of the other cups and in a bad position in the league, that it will change a lot of things - even the way they see the coach.

“So I know that's a massive pressure. But there are more important things than winning cups at this moment - that is my feeling. But I understand that winning the Europa League can change things.”

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Amorim is without 10 injured players - Altay Bayindir, , , , , , , , Manuel Ugarte and Amad - along with Chido Obi, who is ineligible.

The decision not to add 17-year-old striker Obi to their Europa League squad, when has gone 18 games without a goal and with one in his last 16 appearances, looks to have been a major blunder.

United were allowed to add three players to their updated Europa League squad last month and chose to add January signings Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven, as well as midfielder Jack Fletcher, son of first-team coach .

But Fletcher did not make the 18-man squad that travelled to Spain, even though that means United will only be able to name seven subs tonight - two fewer that the permitted allocation.

On Obi's omission from the Europa League squad, Amorim said: ”In that moment, Rasmus and Josh were playing in the same position, so we try to manage all of the things, even the expectations on the kids, so the context was completely different and we choose different players.”

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