Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has revealed that he withdrew Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro due to injury concerns, as his side beat Rangers 2-1 in the Europa League.
It looked like Rangers had secured a late point against United after Cyriel Dessers cancelled out an earlier own goal from Jack Butland.
However, Bruno Fernandes came in clutch, popping up with an even later strike in the 92nd minute to seal the victory for his side.
The Red Devils are now up to fourth place in the Europa League standings with only one league phase fixture left to play.
Indeed, ahead of matchday eight’s trip to FCSB, United’s destiny is firmly in their hands, as they hope to remain in the top eight and bypass the play-off round straight into the last 16.
After the final whistle, Amorim spoke to TNT Sports and gave his verdict on the match.
The United head coach also revealed that he took off De Ligt and Yoro because of injury fears. De Ligt was substituted at the break while Yoro was withdrawn after 55 minutes of action.
Amorim told TNT, “We did well. We played better with the ball. I think we started well and then we lost control of the game because of some bad decisions.”
“But the lads did well. We are so near the second goal with so many chances, it’s so hard but they recover.”
“We are not playing our best but we regrouped from the last game. I know the opponent is different. It wasn’t as fast. You can see the connections. I think we need to be more clinical in the right moments because that can help us a lot.”
On finishing in the top eight, Amorim replied, “It’s two weeks free to prepare for the Premier League so it’s really important to stay in this position.”
On De Ligt and Yoro, he remarked, “He [De Ligt] felt something in his leg. Also, Leny [Yoro] so we cannot risk anything. We have to win but we have to protect the players and show that everyone matters in this moment.”
“We started the game scoring first, that is important. You can see that in Europe, it is quite different. We scored the first one and in the Premier League, it is not a foul.”
Amorim refused to be drawn into talking too much about United’s transfer plans ahead of deadline day on February 3.
“I don’t know what will happen, let’s focus on the games and focus on the team. Anything can happen.”
United’s next assignment is against Marco Silva’s Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday. Kick-off is at 19:00 GMT.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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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!
