Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has insisted that Rasmus Hojlund takes way too many touches as he urged the 20-year-old to urgently improve on this.
Amorim spoke to reporters after United’s 3-2 Europa League win over Bodo/Glimt at Old Trafford.
On yet another occasion, the Red Devils raced to an extremely early. Hojlund closed down visiting goalkeeper Nikita Haikin at pace, forcing the Russian to panic and fluff his lines. Alejandro Garnacho reacted the quickest to tap the ball into the back of an empty net.
Hojlund then scored United’s winning and equalising goals, to double his tally for the season.
The result was Amorim’s first win since his appointment as United boss earlier this month. After the final whistle, the Portuguese coach spoke about Hojlund and praised him for his exploits.
Amorim said about the Danish striker, “I think he improved the connection. I think he has to improve more because sometimes he gives too many touches when he holds the ball.”
“But he’s really important for us because when we are in the low block he is the guy to hold the ball, to connect for transitions, he did that very well, he has that characteristic, he was aggressive in the goals, he was aggressive in the box and he is a quality player.”
“I think he scores the most difficult goals so he has a lot to improve. Is the same for every player but he did a great job today.”
Amorim insisted that his players need to be much better in position.
“It was a real ride, we start very well then we suffered two goals in two transitions.”
“I like the way the players continued to play our game. I could feel the crowd when it was 2-1, sometimes we won the ball and we had problems I think in the past that we give the ball [away] too much.”
“The mindset now is to keep the ball and sometimes they have to go forward, they are really, really trying but I think we deserved the win.”
Another player who received plaudits from Amorim is Noussair Mazraoui. The Moroccan was brilliant once again, the highlight of his performance being a sublime cross for Hojlund’s equalising strike.
On Mazraoui, Amorim remarked, “He’s an incredible player. He’s our future. He always looks fresh, even if we have to be careful with every game. He’s the kind of player we need.”
In his interview with TNT Sports, Amorim expressed gratitude to the fans for welcoming him to the club. He reiterated this in his post-match press conference.
Up next for the Red Devils is another home match, this time in the Premier League against Everton on Sunday.
Featured image Gareth Copley via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
