Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim was pleased with his side’s 2-0 triumph over FCSB, but was keen to put the comfortable performance into context to avoid getting carried away.
FCSB sit second in the Romanian SuperLiga, but Amorim noted in his reaction to the win that Thursday’s opponent were “not the same level” as teams in the English top flight.
Reflecting on the win to TNT Sports, he said: “We controlled very well the game, we had more possession, but of course we have to understand the opponent.
“With all due respect, it’s not the same level as the Premier League, we had more time to think, to connect the play.”
The win secured automatic progression to the last 16 of the Europa League, avoiding the need for a two-legged play-off, and for the Portuguese that was the best part of the victory.
He said: “That is the biggest thing, more than the win is to have time to train, to have time to recover the players for playing Premier League.”
“Kobbie in that position played very well, with more freedom”
Ruben Amorim was happy with Kobbie Mainoo and Man United’s performance, but knows there’s still room for improvement 💪
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United face Crystal Palace on Sunday, and Amorim stated that preparation is his priority. “We have to recover the players. We are going to sleep here to work in the morning, we are trying everything to recover the players.”
The win against FCSB made it three wins on the trot for Amorim’s United, and while they have not all been as pretty as the win in Romania, it feels like the beginning of something positive.
But the Portuguese played this down, saying “The most important thing is not the three that we won, it’s the next one.”
If his men can kick on from tonight’s result then fans can get excited and even the manager might crack a smile, and Kobbie Mainoo could be the key to that.
The 19-year-old turned in an eye-catching performance as a number 10, and Amorim was full of praise for the academy graduate.
“I think that Kobbie in that position played very well, with more freedom, with not so much responsibility running back all the time.”
He added: “I think the lads did a good job, a clean sheet again and we created some chances. But we have to score more goals.”
Mainoo scored one and assisted the other on a sparkling night for the youngster, putting him forward as a surprise candidate to address his side’s barren spell in front of goal.
Feature image Richard Heathcote via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
