Ruben Amorim will know better than most how important the Europa League final is for Manchester United Football Club. Besides a European trophy and qualifying for next season's Champions League, winning the Europa League will be transformative for the club's finances and make them a far more attractive side to join this summer.
It is also an important final for Amorim's United career which, although still in its infancy, is already under mounting pressure.
The Portuguese took a brave decision when he left Sporting CP mid-season for a club in a far weaker position on and off the pitch. At that point, Sporting were flying high domestically and in Europe, and the possibilities for the season were endless.
Amorim, though, had ambitions of coaching one of the world's biggest clubs and becoming the man to end the Man Utd manager curse. However, managers before Amorim with big egos believed they could be the coach to change United's fortunes, so why would it be any different for him?
After all, the club's majority owners were and are still the Glazers, finances are tighter than ever, and the squad is a long way off being competitive.
Domestically, it has been a nightmarish start for the young Portuguese coach with the Red Devils a barely believable 16th in the Premier League after being knocked out of the FA Cup in the fifth round and losing to their Europa League final opponents Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
For United, there has become an air of inevitability of losing on a Sunday afternoon after winning in the Europa League on Thursday night. However well or badly Amorim's side play in the Premier League, the result ends in a draw or, more often, defeat.
There have been eight winless league games since Amorim's Reds beat relegated Leicester City 3-0 in mid-March, and it has been a run of form which has confirmed this season as the worst in United's Premier League history.
There are no excuses - this season has been a failure, and everyone at the club should be held accountable.
Amongst the darkness, however, a flickering light emerges.
After a combination of good fortune, some clutch moments, and finding life easier against teams beyond British shores, United find themselves one victory away from European glory.
That flickering light will go out if United lose to Spurs next Wednesday evening, but if they win, it will shine bright again. A fortunate reset, maybe, but a crucial one for the trajectory of the club's unstable future.
Two very different paths await United's future, depending on the outcome of the most important game of the last decade. Lose, and the pressure on Amorim from minute one of next season will be huge. Win, and it will be like a reset for the club, not to mention Champions League football will await.
Champions League football will entice bigger names
As has been the case for a long time, a club qualified for the Champions League holds a bargaining chip in negotiations that other sides don't. The best players want to play in the premier European competition, and only on rare occasions settle for less if paid handsomely.
So it goes without saying that Omar Berrada and co. will have better options in the market if United win this week, as they look to rebuild a squad proven not to be good enough for the Premier League.
Whilst Matehus Cunha from Wolves and Liam Delap from Ipswich Town are both reportedly close to joining, Amorim's side needs much more than that to be competitive next season.
On paper, they both should be good signings, with Cunha a particularly exciting prospect, but United need two attacking wing-backs, a physical holding midfielder, a goalkeeper and an experienced striker if they want to be competitive next season.
That might sound like a lot, but for this side to entertain Champions League football at Old Trafford next campaign, an overhaul is necessary.
The only players who have done enough to deserve a starting place next season are Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo.
It is slim pickings.
It is worth remembering that Sir Jim Ratcliffe blew the lid off United's financial woes in March when he said in an interview that without cuts to the budget, the club would have gone bust by last Christmas.
So whilst winning the Europa League could prove vital to the club's finances, the funds available to Amorim won't be unlimited. United can't buy their way out of problems as easily as their city rivals can, so being smart with the money available to them will be crucial.
No more misses can be afforded if the club wants next season to pan out better than this one. And for the leap of faith Amorim made when he left Sporting, the hierarchy has a responsibility to get things right this summer.
Of course, their ability to do that as effectively as possible depends on the outcome of the Europa League final.
If Manchester United can beat Spurs at their fourth attempt of the season, Amorim will have done his job, and attention will turn to the CEO to ensure a domestic season like 2024/25 never happens again.
Because if United do win the Europa League and Amorim isn't given the profile of players he needs for a physically demanding system, then it should be Berrada and not Amorim who steps down if things don't go to plan.
If things don't work out in Bilbao, United fans should prepare for the worst. A much less inspiring transfer window and a popular manager under huge pressure to deliver results next season is a recipe for toxicity at a club becoming synonymous with it.
Ecstasy or despair? A monumental final awaits
A monumental final awaits Manchester United in Bilbao, and the travelling fans (above anyone else) who have watched their side get beaten more times than anyone could have imagined last August, deserve this one victory.
For all the long and painful away trips in England this season, they have earned a great night in sunny Spain, an ocean away from the headaches that plague their club back home.
Ignorance can be bliss for one memorable night in Bilbao. Right?
Defeat, however, would be a dagger blow to a club already in disarray, and the fragile wheels might finally fall off, causing everything to crash and burn.
No pressure then, Mr Amroim.