Brutal Manchester United verdict offers Ruben Amorim chance to experiment before transfer window

Manchester United might have secured one of the best results of their season last weekend, but according to Opta, it was also the day that their Premier League campaign officially became a write-off.

The Opta Analyst website listed United's chances of somehow salvaging Europa Conference League or Europa League qualification as 0.02% until the weekend's results, when all hope has now vanished.

Ruben Amorim's side have eased their own brief relegation worries, and the failure of the promoted sides to mount a survival charge has ended any interest in the battle to avoid the drop in March. With the title race pretty much over, the battle for European places is all that remains up for grabs and United are out of the picture.

Results elsewhere ended their chances, according to Opta. United are eighth points behind Fulham in eighth and 10 points behind Brighton in seventh, so the gaps to make up are pretty much unbridgeable.

United are now one of four teams given a 0.00% chance of winning the league, qualifying for Europe or going down this season, alongside Tottenham, West Ham and Everton. At least United and Tottenham still have the Europa League to play for and the carrot of Champions League qualification through that tournament.

But this must be the first time in a long time that United's domestic season is essentially over by the end of March. They will want to improve on 13th in the table, but really, that doesn't matter. The focus must be on Europe, and changes are a must, especially for the trip to Newcastle, which is sandwiched between the two quarter-final ties with Lyon.

If anything, Amorim should be using the final nine games of the league season - with the notable exception of the derby - to experiment. Players are