Ruben Amorim admits Manchester United have "so many problems" and deserve criticism despite storming into the Europa League final with a 7-1 aggregate victory over Athletic Bilbao.
United went into Thursday's second leg of their semifinal at Old Trafford 3-0 ahead after the first leg in Spain, but conceded first and looked nervy and chaotic at times.
A triple substitution just after the hour mark changed the game, with one of those brought on, Mason Mount, scoring twice as United roared back to win 4-1, setting up a final clash against Tottenham in Bilbao.
But Amorim was not fooled by the scoreline as he contemplated the wreckage of United's Premier League campaign ahead of Sunday's match at fellow strugglers West Ham.
If the Hammers beat United and Spurs get a draw or better against Crystal Palace, Amorim's men would be an unthinkable 17th in the table, one place above the relegation spots, though they cannot go down.
"The weakness, you can see it again," he said. "We have so many problems. Even winning these kind of games (against Athletic), you can see during the game, we have a lot of things to improve."
Even though United's league campaign is beyond redemption, Amorim said he would not wrap all his players in cotton wool for the Europa League final on May 21 as he still wanted to be "competitive" in the Premier League.
"They will play because sometimes it's better to play," he said. "What I will protect is the players that can get an injury."
EUROPA FOCUS
Amorim admitted he had a difficult juggling act, with the Europa League – which gives a Champions League spot to the winner – as a clear priority.
"I think against Brentford (a 4-3 defeat on Sunday), we had some mistakes that I felt that some of our players were thinking about this game (against Athletic)," he said.
"We have to manage that, but we also have to acknowledge that we are Manchester United and we need to win games also in the Premier League.
"We have to use every game to improve, even to prepare for the final, but especially to prepare for the future."
Amorim said criticism of his side from former United captain Roy Keane over the team's Premier League performances was justified.
"We are trying to do our best, but I agree we can do better," said the former Sporting Lisbon boss.
"Again, I don't have anything to say about the criticism because we deserve it.
"If we cannot accept everything in this kind of season, I think we are in the wrong business. I fully acknowledge that and I agree with all the critics."
But Amorim, who made eight changes for last weekend's defeat at Brentford, said United had to be smart ahead of the final.
"I have to make a choice. What is the best for the club, not what is the best for me," he said.
"I make a choice. In this moment, I'm going to save... players because it's really important for us to win the final."