Manchester United's 16th loss of the Premier League season came against Brentford, where they were defeated 4-3.

Manchester United is not prepared to compete in the Premier League and Champions League next season, according to Ruben Amorim.

 With the 4-3 loss against European contender Brentford, United recorded their 16th league loss, their biggest in 35 years. This outcome mathematically guarantees them a place in the bottom half.

Amorim prioritised Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Club, with United leading 3-0 overall, and made eight changes, selecting the third-youngest team in Premier League history.

If United can win the Europa League, they will participate in the Champions League the following season, but Amorim claims that is a "real dilemma" for the team.

Amorim responded, "We are not ready to play in the Premier League, be competitive, and to be in the Champions League," when asked about the strain of being so close to qualifying.

"We are aware of that, but in order to advance to the Champions League, win this competition, and provide something for our supporters, we must fight and win.

 After that, we'll have time to get the team ready for those two contests.  It is a conundrum, yet naturally, we want to prevail."

Amorim: Our performance has improved.

With eight minutes remaining at Brentford, United was behind 4-1, but late goals from substitute Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho gave Amorim's struggling team some dignity.

 Although there were some encouraging moments, especially Mason Mount's first goal—his first in the league in 13 months—the most of the effort was a far cry from Thursday's thrilling 3-0 victory over Athletic Club.

 Despite his inability to convert United's Europa League success into reliable Premier League performances and outcomes, Amorim maintains that he is seeing encouraging indicators.

He went on to say: "Even in this situation, I am confident that we are improving our game and comprehending how we play.  We must therefore bear all the consequences.

 "We are losing games in the Premier League, we are fighting for the Europa League, so we need to accept that and to think about Thursday as the most important game for us."

 "It's not just the finish, it's the position that he has on the pitch," Amorim said in response to a question concerning Mount's objective after he suffered through yet another season marred by injuries.  He can reach the box and is comparable to a third midfielder.  He's quite smart.

"He trains incredibly hard and is making progress.  Because he wants to accomplish so much more, I occasionally have to push him back and remove him from the field.  We're looking after him.

 "The minutes were restricted, but he wants to play more.  I'm rather pleased with him.

Amorim: This is no longer possible.

 At the age of 17 years and 156 days, striker Chido Obi became the youngest player in United's history to start a Premier League match at Brentford. Tyler Fredricson and Harry Amass, both academy graduates, were also selected.

 Although Amorim was happy with the young players and the experience they had received, he made it very evident to them that they would not be allowed to continue playing at the level of United during their worst season in the Premier League.

He responded, "It is really important to understand that we cannot do this anymore," when asked how crucial it was that the younger players take the loss as a lesson.

 "This type of season requires a shift, but we are aware of the background.  They must comprehend what it means to be a Manchester United player.

 "I believe they performed admirably.  We have to substitute some other players to save them for Thursday, so even though they haven't been playing much, they still have to play 90 minutes."

When asked what experience they would have acquired, Amorim responded, "It's really important because you can train a lot with the first team, but to have that feeling, playing with the players, feeling the players, the speed of the game, I think it is the best thing."

 On his debut senior appearance, Obi was expected to lead the line against Brentford's muscular centre-back combination of Nathan Collins and Sepp van den Berg, who stopped the adolescent striker's goalbound attempt in the closing seconds.

Up until he broke through a challenge in the area, the Denmark U21 international had a difficult full start. If it weren't for Van den Berg's intervention, he was set to at least test Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

 "Chido fought for all game, but you can feel that he's really naive sometimes in the way he puts his body," Amorim stated.  "He will be able to comprehend the sensation of playing these games.  This is the most effective method.