Manchester United did something they've not done before under Ruben Amorim in Real Sociedad rout

Diogo Dalot and Alejandro Garnacho stood in front of Old Trafford's East Stand checking their pulses. Perhaps it was a metaphor because Manchester United's season suddenly feels alive with possibilities.

A night laced with jeopardy and the prospect of embarrassment brought out the best of Ruben Amorim's team. We might have just seen a glimpse of the future in a week dominated by talk of it. By the end, this was a romp, and Dalot and Garnacho weren't the only ones in red having fun.

For all the positivity of a bright performance against Arsenal and dreams of a new 100,000-capacity stadium, the mood would have turned again had United bailed out of Europe against Real Sociedad. When the La Liga side took an early lead after an excellent start, you feared the worst.

United's season has now come down to this. A series of tight-rope walks on a Thursday night and falling off straight away would have summed this campaign up.

But this morning, this season has a pulse as well. This was the best performance United have produced under Amorim. Whereas previously they have impressed in games where they can defend deep and strike on the break, this time they dominated possession and were the aggressors throughout. This is an attacking blueprint to work from.

The Europa League has suited United this season and on this evidence they are realistic contenders to go all the way and salvage something from this wreckage. Lyon now await in the quarter-finals and there should be no fears about facing the sixth-best team in France. With the Premier League campaign now irrelevant, it is in Europe where this team can avoid the shame of becoming only the second United team in more than 40 years not to qualify for Europe.

If they were feeling the