Manchester United Face Harsh Truths After Losing Must-Win Europa League Final

Manchester United's Europa League final defeat by Tottenham leaves them in a dark place, contemplating their worst league finish in five decades and with no European football next season. Ruben Amorim's men travelled to Bilbao hoping to salvage something from the wreckage of their season but left empty-handed as Spurs beat them for the fourth time in the current campaign. Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game shortly before half-time at the San Mames and United lacked the cutting edge to respond.

In some ways the match was a snapshot of the Red Devils' season -- highlighting their inability to take their chances and uncertainty at the back.

Defeat is a bitter -- and costly -- blow for a club who are unrecognisable from the force that rose to the pinnacle of English and European football under Alex Ferguson.

Next season will be their first without European competition since the 2014/15 campaign, while six of their Premier League rivals strut their stuff on Europe's biggest club stage.

Amorim slump

Amorim took over as manager from Erik ten Hag in November with a brief to impose his own blueprint on a struggling side, arriving highly rated after success at Sporting Lisbon.

But he has been unable to halt United's slide, winning just six Premier League games as his side slipped to 16th in the table, with a mere 39 points to their name.

United have now suffered 21 defeats in all competitions this season -- their most in a campaign since losing 22 in 1973/74, when they were relegated from the top division.

As the season progressed it became clear that Amorim was prioritising the Europa League and United, until Wednesday, were the only unbeaten side in Europe.

They summoned up the ghosts of United teams past in