Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim believes he is still the right man for the job after the club's Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, but said he would quit with no compensation if the club's board believed otherwise.
Amorim had hoped to salvage something from a woeful season that has them languishing 16th in the Premier League with one game remaining.
But it was Tottenham who tasted glory with Brennan Johnson bundling in a first-half goal in a 1-0 win that clinched Spurs a spot in the Champions League next season, leaving United out of European football entirely.
“In this moment, I am not going to be here defending myself, it is not my style,” Amorim said. “I cannot do it, it is really hard for me.
“So I have nothing to show to the fans and say 'I'm going to improve because of this, I have these problems'.
“In this moment, it is a little bit of faith. Let's see. I'm always open, if the board and the fans feel that I am not the right guy, I will go the next day without any conversation about compensation.”
Missing out on Champions League will be costly with co-owner Jim Ratcliffe estimating the financial benefit of qualification between £80-100 million in broadcast, match day and commercial income.
“It is tough for a club like us not to be in the Champions League but now we have to deal with that with a different plan, even with the market,” Amorim said. “But that means we have more time, more time to think and work during the week and to be better in the Premier League. This will be our focus.
“I know it's going to be tough, I know we lost to an English team, I know the pressure of the fans is going to be really short in the next season. But I guarantee you I will not quit, I will not go away, so I am really confident.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes said he has no intention of leaving this summer but admitted the club could end up cashing in on him following the damaging Europa League final loss.
The 30-year-old has been a rare shining light in a dreadful season at Old Trafford, but even his star was dimmed in Wednesday's loss.
Fernandes has recently been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, leading head coach Amorim to stress United should try to keep “one of the top players in the world”.
But the Europa League final defeat has financial ramifications, with the lack of European football raising fresh questions over the skipper's future.
“I've always said I will be here until the club says to me that it's time to go,” Fernandes said. “I'm eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to great days.
“In the day that the club thinks that I'm too much or it's time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it. But I've always said it and I keep my word in the same way.
“If the club thinks it's time to part ways because they want to do some cash in or whatever, it's what it is, and football sometimes is like this.”
