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Ruben Amorim was delighted with Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo’s outburst after the game in the Czech Republic as the Manchester United boss saw the fire he wants from his players.
After Arsenal’s defeat by Nottingham Forest was exacerbated by chief executive Dan Ashworth’s shock exit, the Red Devils raised their spirits with Thursday’s 2-1 Europa League win at Viktoria Plzen.
Andre Onana’s mistake put former Burnley striker Matej Vydra ahead for the hosts early in the second half, but United substitute Hojlund quickly leveled before two minutes went by to secure Amorim’s first win as United boss.
Bruno Fernandes’ assist for Rasmus Højlund’s winning goal was his seventh chance of the match against Viktoria Plzen.
But the two-goal winner’s confidence was always dashed after he was denied a chance to complete his hat-trick in stoppage time when Diallo opted to go it alone instead of crossing.
At a later break Hojlund chose not to go forward, which led to a scramble at the final whistle that the recently appointed Amorim was good for.
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Robert Earnshaw has his say on Marcus Rashford and whether he should be in the Manchester United squad in January
“Yes (I knew), and for me it’s good,” said the United head coach.
“You know, at this point we need to feel something. If we need to fight each other, it’s like a family. For me it’s a very good sign. We need to feel something and that’s the most important thing.”
Rasmus Højlund has been involved in 50% of Manchester United’s goals in the UEFA Europa League this season.
Commenting on the Portuguese showing the players care, he said: “It’s obvious.
“When you don’t care, you don’t do anything. When you care, you fight with your brother, your father, and your mother. To me, that’s a very good sign.
Ruben Amorim tonight became the third Manchester United manager to win his first two games in Europe’s top competitions in charge of the club, after Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson.
“It’s a strange thing. I think it’s a good, healthy thing, so I let the players and the captain set things up.
“If I see that it’s too difficult, I go into the dressing room. But it’s their place, they have to communicate, fight and, again, for me it’s the most important thing.”
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Robert Earnshaw reflects on Manchester United’s win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League
Thursday’s win saw United progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League and increase their chances of finishing in the top eight, meaning they will go through to the play-offs.
It was a welcome shot in the arm ahead of Sunday’s trip to struggling Manchester City and a move forward as Amorim tries to build on his image.
No team in the UEFA Europa League has collected more points from away goals than Manchester United this season (7)
“At this point, in this case, as we gave a goal to the opposition, it was important not to give up,” he said.
“This is very good news, it was not a winning game, but we managed to do this well which is good when you build a team and I think we deserved to win.
“I am happy that we won the game but we are still fighting, this is a very good thing.
“When you win and fight your partner because you want to score one more, for me it’s a great day for us.”
